The Kee sports coupe was one of the best looking concept cars at Frankfurt’s Motor Show. Receiving nothing but praise and positive comments in Europe, Kia decided bringing it to L.A. Auto Show to get additional feedback on it’s design.
Unfortunately the Kee concept car never made it to L.A.! The Kee was damaged while beeing transported to the auto show scene. Acording to Kia, the damage was too big and impossible to repair, that’s why they were forced to send it back to Europe to get repaired.
While searching for additional information on Kee accident I found a sweet video where Kee is beeing driven. A few lucky car journalists had actualy a chance to take a spin in it. Let’s hear their findings on Kia Kee! (Video also includes a short interview with Kia’s Chief designer, Peter Schreyer!)
November 19th, 2007 at 2:21 pm
Man, Kee is awsome. I get jealous to see someone driving or sitting in it. And here, to see it move…… I like how its doors open and the starter button. This Kia Kee video is awsome. And Pete said that Kia is a sporty brand so I think that KEE should go into production.
November 19th, 2007 at 4:08 pm
Just got some dissapointing news. Kia cee’d didnt get the 2008 European COTY (Car Of The Year) Award. The winner was the little fiat 500.
November 19th, 2007 at 5:39 pm
Damn it. Kia used to make Fiat 132 back in 1974. They made a Peugoet too. I hope Cee’d came in as an honorable mention or something!
November 19th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
I have to admit the little Fiat 500 is an attractive little mini car that should sell in large numbers all around the world.
But the cee’d offers a more modern car that is fit for our current automotive and road atmosphere much better. The
cee’d should have won the 2008 European COTY Award!
As for the Kee, all I can say is WOW! Kia, build this car. I am more suited for a 4-door sedan(a 5-door hatchback
or crossover like the cee’d would be great, but, America’s not getting it). = : (
But this video featuring the concept Kia Kee is fantastic and I love the push-button starter, the side mirrors, the “buzz”
of the engine and the front end body design is amzing! Love it! I could be swayed to go this way, uh-huh!!
November 19th, 2007 at 7:20 pm
yes Bryan, kee is awsome and is my fav concept. Besides that, have u noticed the vote poll? more people are voting boring for borrego’s exterior design. im really getting upset. Bryan you are right. the cee’d is a modern car for this time but there’s no need to be too upset because this was the first korean brand to make it to the COTY short-list.
this is what the site said:
Fiat 500 took it by a handy margin, beating the next-best Mazda2 by 60 points in the final tally. Kia’s Cee’d came in third with just half the points of the Mazda. Nissan’s Qashqai and Mercedes-Benz’s C-class rounded out the top five, reports Automotive News.
just one more mark and cee’d could have been second, but atleast it beat the C-Class. her’s a link to the site:
http://www.motorauthority.com/news/hatchbacks/fiat-500-wins-european-coty-for-2008/
November 19th, 2007 at 7:44 pm
i’m sorry. its not “just one more mark”. I should have written “cee’d needed double of the marks it scored to win”
November 19th, 2007 at 9:06 pm
very interesting concept car and I do believe that it was one of the best looking cars at Frankfurt’s Motor Show
November 20th, 2007 at 12:46 am
You’re right mek! It was one of the show attraction at Frankfurt. I wonder how well would this car be accepted if shown in America! I heard many negative comments on it’s radical face (mostly commented by people from US).
Welcome to the blog mek!
November 20th, 2007 at 1:08 am
America is getting the next generation Spectra Bryan! It will be as good as cee’d, if not even slightly better.
The Fiat 500 and the cee’d are totally different cars. Can’t be compared to each other. Fiat is an image icon and cee’d is a usefull family hatchback! If you wanna look cool buy a Fiat 500 (or wait for the Pro_cee’d) or buy a cee’d if you want to be a smart buyer. It depends of what you really want and need.
November 20th, 2007 at 1:12 am
You don’t have to wait for the pro_cee’d anymore(I don’t think) But anyway, I cannot believe that Kia made the boxy Fiat 132 though!
November 20th, 2007 at 1:17 am
*Greg Says:
You don’t have to wait for the pro_cee’d anymore(I don’t think) But anyway, I cannot believe that Kia made the boxy Fiat 132 though!
i also can’t believe that
November 20th, 2007 at 1:20 am
Well yes we have to wait just a little bit now. It’s true that Kia is already producing the pro_cee’d, but they have to transport it across the Europe first.
Kia had some car partners in the past. I remember they were working with Ford and Mazda. It was a Kia Pride which was a Mazda 121 based car. But don’t know for Fiat though…
November 20th, 2007 at 1:25 am
I was on google earth a little while ago and was looking at Kia’s Hwasung plant and noticed a Huge track there. What’s up with that? Also, I think that they build frames at the Sohari plant only and truck them to the Hwasung to be finished. I know that the Sportage and Sorento along with all of Kia’s commercial vehicles are built at the Kwang-Ju plant.
November 21st, 2007 at 1:43 pm
Hi,
in reply to Greg, Hwasung has an R&D test facility and was Kia’s main R&D Centre prior to joining with Hyundai – now all engineering R&D is done at Namyang – not far from Hwasung – just head a little North on Google Earth and you’ll find another huge track!
Sohari was Kia’s first integrated car production plant – opened in 1973 – and produces Rio and Sedona with an annual capacity of 340,000 units a year.
Excuse a Kia UK person pitching in to the site – but we do enjoy seeing what you all think and your comments are useful to us.
I was fortunate enough to be involved in organising the media drive of KEE and I can tell you the UK journalists who got beghind the wheel were probably even more knocked out that you lot are just at the prospect! Mind you, we did have to speed limit them – essential when you persuade the Chief Design Officer to let journalists to take the wheel of his creation and given what happened in the US I was very relieved when the drives were finished and no-one had damaged the car.
November 21st, 2007 at 8:43 pm
Stephen,
Have you noticed how kia seems to use a blue and purple color scheme? What are all of those white things that are scattered throughout parking lots? I guessed that they were shrinkwrapped chassies from Sohari.
November 21st, 2007 at 8:44 pm
Have you ever found Kwang-ju plant? It’s where thay make commercial vehicles and Sportage and Sorento.
November 21st, 2007 at 8:47 pm
All three really stand out with their color scheme!
November 22nd, 2007 at 7:11 am
As far as the negative comments coming from some Americans about the new Kie Kee concept car, I will say this.
Remember, you’re taking comments from people who find it hard to leave the Ford F-150 and Chevy Silverado!
The Kia Kee has too much body design integrity for them! I remember when I bought my first Kia, a 1999 Kia Sephia
in Violet Mist color and 5-speeds. No A/C, no radio, and a $7,995 price tag, after a $2,000 Kia rebate! Once I put some
Yokohama 70,000 mile radials and some Konig Diva wheels on the car the handling improved exponentially! But the Sephia’s body design was ar more interesting than the competitors, the Honda Civic and the Toyota Corolla. Kia went right at the competion with the Sephia and IMHO Kia won that battle! Loved my Sephia! I saw Kia’s vast design potential for the future in my little Sephia.
My wife and I both loved our 2001 Kia Sportage 4X4, too. Traded the Sportage 4X4 in in March ’07 for a 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer
GTS. I now love my Lancer GTS but Kia is always a nice carmaker to study as I dig driving my Lancer. Keep it up, Kia and Peter Schreyer…talk about a breath of design fresh air!
The Kee looks like a winner, don’t look at the American reaction to it…it’s a cool, innovative design that deserves a solid look
from people. And yes, himi, I will research the next-gen Spectra from Kia. Most definitely.
November 22nd, 2007 at 6:27 pm
AMEN!
November 23rd, 2007 at 11:06 am
To Stephen Kitson: Thank you for explaining the question abot Hwasung test facility. We are glad to have people who know so much about Kia among our visitors.
Regarding to Kee test drive: I’m sure those journalists who actualy drove the car were fascinated by the Kee! The video and journalist comments prove that this must be a wonderful concept car.
What about you Stephen, did you test drive the Kee?
November 27th, 2007 at 1:07 pm
Sorry not to get back sooner, been away on Kia business – no I didn’t drive Kee. That’s the penalty you pay for being “one of the family”! But I was fortunate to see Kee from its early stages as a clay model right through the build to the final show car at Frankfurt and working with Peter Schreyer, Gregory Guillaume and the design team was a great privilege. and it was fascinating to see journalists as excited as kids in a toy shop when they got to drive the car. I was also with the media when they drove the fuel cell Sportage as reported elsewhere on the site. that too excited them because they know that fuel cells really are the future for sustainable motoring. that’s the great thing about being in this job!
November 27th, 2007 at 9:36 pm
It’s great to see you here again Stephen! It’s a pitty you didn’t drive it, but at least you got to see it in person.
How long did it take for Kia team to design the Kee concept car? Did it get the green light for production already?
I read some of the Kee reviews and there is nothing but praise on the Kee. What was the reaction from visitors at Frankfurt Motor Show when they saw it? Do you have any information?
November 27th, 2007 at 10:23 pm
Everyone in the U.S. gives Kia a bad rap. I can’t stand to hear all of those idiots saying, “Kia? That company sucks!” It really aggrevates me! The Kee should turn that around.
November 28th, 2007 at 12:04 am
The Kee would have a great impact on Kia image across the world. But more great Kia looking cars would be needed to impress all negative looking people. It will take a few years for Kia to gain Toyota-like image.
November 28th, 2007 at 2:01 am
I don’t take what American people say about Kia seriously. I have owned two Kia’s and I
love their body design, low price, and Long-Haul Warranty, just to name three reasons I
love Kia.
The Kia Kee concept is an awesome concept and I would love it if Kia would build it and
bring it to the U.S.
May 7th, 2008 at 5:04 am
Kia does have a great long Warranty, but for those of you who own new Kia’s to get coverd by your warranty, You must have all the Kia Services done when there due for them or ELSE you wont be coverd, and will have to pay out of pocket.