07 Mar 07
You have to hand it to Kia: if it's not a major player in the car industry in the next decade, it won't be for a lack of trying. Not content to gradually woo customers with its confident seven-year warranty, the company has now moved to a new level thanks to its design studios in Europe and the US, plus its new manufacturing facility in Slovakia.
But it's the appointment of new design chief Peter Schreyer that promises to make the most impact. The Cee'd, on sale in the UK for the last month, has already made an impressive statement of the company's intent in terms of where it sees its design direction going - and the Ex_Cee'd Cabriolet on show in Geneva reinforces that.
Designed by Schreyer only five months ago after seeing the three-door Ex_Cee'd (due to be launched in December) at the Paris motor show last autumn, this new version is lower than the five-door Cee'd and has the short overhangs appropriate to a sporty cabriolet, along with a wedge-shaped profile, aggressive front styling and 19" alloys. But Kia has bucked one major trend by opting for a fabric roof rather than a folding hardtop.
Schreyer said: 'I'm convinced that the fabric roof will have a renaissance. We've all lived with the romantic idea of open-air driving for a long time and, for me, it is the fabric roof that is the quintessential element of a truly rewarding cabrio.' Nothing to do with saving money, then.
