Shown in over 40 countries worldwide, Auto Mundial has spent the last year testing and reporting on a wide range of machinery from across the globe. Despite the gargantuan range of new cars on offer, from sports cars to 4x4s and city cars to people movers, the Auto Mundial team put the pro_cee’d up against them all but chose the Kia as their number one.
Auto Mundial producer, Guy Hicks, said; “Making our choice on that basis put it up against very stiff opposition because we haven’t confined it to a small group of newcomers but made a choice based on anything that’s crossed our path during the last 52 weeks.
“That means the Kia, which stood out not just for its looks and driving entertainment but also for technical innovations, was matched against cars as diverse as the Porsche 911 and the BMW M3, beating all of them to the top of the podium on a range of criteria which had to include price and purpose.”
Click image to enlarge!
Hicks also added: “It would have been easy to give the award to an expensive saloon or sports car, but we always felt we had to look deeper than power and performance.”
Journalist on the Auto Mundial programme, Richard Nichols, said; ‘The fact that the Kia defeated the BMW M3 is a clear indication of its all-round excellence. We were all convinced the BMW would be hard to beat, if not impossible, but in the end the Kia pro_cee’d was clearly the winner.’
The three door Kia pro_cee’d, which comes with a choice of 1.6-litre petrol and diesel and a 2.0-litre diesel engines, only went on sale in early 2008 and has been a runaway success ever since. Designed, developed, engineered and built in Europe, the pro_cee’d is the only three door car on sale in Europe with a seven year, 100,000-mile warranty.
Paul Philpott, Managing Director, Kia Motors UK Ltd., said: “This global award is recognition for the hard work and dedication our design, development and manufacturing teams have put into creating this European product. We’ve been saying for some time that the pro_cee’d is very special – a Kia you can brag about to your mates in the pub. Now it’s beaten the likes of 911 and M3 to this award, it just goes to show that you need good value and excellent quality, not just horsepower, to create a winning performance.” [Source: Kia UK]
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December 19th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
himi, isnt the pro_cee’d production model called the cee’d 3-door? I think pro_cee’d was just the concept name…
Congrats to cee’d. winning awards has bacome a routine for it.
December 19th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
WOW. I’m impressed, considering the competition. Huge props to Kia.
December 19th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
O I swear that blue pro_cee’d gets me mouth watering…
December 19th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
I got to drive one while I was in Korea, Diesel Stick Shift, I was quite impressed. It was faster than any US Spec Kia available, if we could reduce all the EPA restrictions it would be great car to import here. Nothing like a Government telling me what I can and cannot drive..Wheres the Freedom there.
December 19th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Well done Kia Motors , the ceed it’s one of the best cars in it’s class . FOR KIA, THE CEED IT’S JUST THE START . http://www.cardomain.com
December 19th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3101916
December 19th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
I don’t know Harry Canyon, the Amanti is very fast. We have an Amanti as a loaner because our Optima is in the shop. We are living a life of pure luxury for a little while. The cee’d routinely wins awards! Instead of calling it news, call it inevitability!
December 19th, 2008 at 11:59 pm
i wish the US had the Cee’d.
December 20th, 2008 at 5:24 am
Josh, wait til the two door forte-spectra comes out. That is one beautiful car, its hard to believe its a Kia. As for the Amanti it is pretty quick but if you put the Sedona up against in a 1/4 mile, the Sedona would win. Kia De-tuned the Amanti for economy.
December 20th, 2008 at 11:02 am
the sedona is a fast SOB. & i know, i want the Koup… bad. but the Cee’d would be a good GTI alternative. i’m tired of those things.
December 20th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
Yeah, the Sedona is for moms like Danica Patrick! In a way I wish that the US had the cee’d, but I have high hopes for the new Spectra. I just hope they don’t butcher it like they did to the Soul. I was actually leaning toward getting a Soul for a while, but now Kia can take their d**mn Soul and shove it!
December 21st, 2008 at 12:17 am
The Cee’d would destroy in the Norht American market. This car ins unreal amounts of nice. It reminds me of the Saturn Astra, which is doing great in this market right now. Kia lets get off of our butts and get this car into North America fast.
December 21st, 2008 at 2:39 am
NA(including the U.S.) won’t get the Kia cee’d. NA will get the Kia Forte Koup and Kia Forte sedan. Those will be really nice cars, though, the Forte twins. Lookin’ fo-ward to ‘em!
December 21st, 2008 at 9:08 am
hey, blog looks pretty neat wthout those forum buttons on top. I was expecting you oto remove them soon and got used to the Forum button on the right…
December 21st, 2008 at 3:41 pm
Well, I’m testing this design right now. I find it better and much “cleaner”. Forum buttons have been removed from the main page, but you can still use them when you enter the forum. What do you think of this change?
December 21st, 2008 at 4:51 pm
blog looks pretty neat and clean without those forum buttons on top. I was expecting you to remove them soon and got used to the Forum button on the right…
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:18 pm
himi, this is a better arrangement-it is neater overall.
December 23rd, 2008 at 8:10 pm
I agree!
December 31st, 2008 at 7:10 am
WOW CAR OF THR YEAR!!!! AWESOME. The Kia Pro_Cee’d is a really sporty car. This car looks so much better than the Opel/SATURN Astra, and it beat a lot of vehicles to get to the top. I also wish it was avaliable in the US.