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The new 3-door version of the Kia cee’d will make it’s world debut at the 2007 Frankfurt International Motor Show on the 11th September 2007. It will be called the Pro-cee’d, which doesn’t stray far from it’s pro_cee’d concept name, just a matter of a dash instead of an underscore and proper capitalization.

“Longer, lower and lighter than its five-door sister car, the new Kia Pro-ceed is going to be a great drive. Combining real style and genuine practicality, our new three-door ceed is sure to delight existing Kia customers and attract a new group of European consumers who have not yet considered our brand,” said Senior Vice President of Kia Motors Europe Jean-Charles Lievens.

It’s 5-door brother the Kia cee’d which made it’s debut earlier has had some success in the market - 6 awards so far with the most recent being the 2007 Auto Express Special Honour award.

“Kia has worked tirelessly over recent years to improve their product range and establish themselves firmly in consumers minds. With the introduction of their first truly European product early this year and its industry leading seven-year warranty, Kia have given us all a reason to think twice before we buy elsewhere,” says a man that most of you know - Fifth Gear presenter Tiff Needell.

Just too bad that the Kia cee’d, the cee’d SW station wagon as well as the Pro-cee’d will remain largely European market cars for the time being - we’re still stuck with Kia’s old C-segment entrant, the Kia Spectra at the moment. Hopefully not for long, as the soon to be introduced new Kia Optima needs a younger sibling.

The Hyundai Sonata and the Kia Optima used to be mechanical brothers, and both variants were available here in Malaysia, with the latter offered by Naza Kia Sdn Bhd. The Hyundai Sonata has since been updated with an all-new model here in Malaysia first as a CBU and subsequently as a locally assembled CKD unit.

As for the Kia offering, the old Optima is still on sale, but looking at Naza Kia’s continuous efforts with the Kia brand here in Malaysia (the most recent being the introduction of a locally assembled Kia Sportage), we are poised to see the new Kia Optima here very soon as a locally assembled model.

The new Kia Optima differs slightly from it’s Hyundai Sonata brother in the area of front suspension setup, where the Sonata uses a multilink setup while Kia uses a MacPherson strut setup at the front.

Engine options consist of a 145 PS inline-4, a 161 PS 2.4 liter inline-4 and a 185 PS 2.7 liter V6 mated to a 4-speed or 5-speed automatic transmission, with a 5-speed manual also available for those who prefer clutch action.

Kia has been emphasizing on the crash test results of the new Optima, which earned a 5-star rating in the NHTSA crash tests and a 4-star rating in the EuroNCAP crash test.

According to a dealer tip, unlike the Sonata which offers 2.0 and 2.4 liter variants, the Kia Optima will most likely be offered as a 2.0 liter inline-4 only, but will have two different trim levels - a standard one called EX with dual airbags, ABS, fabric seats, CD/MP3/USB audio and a higher spec model called EX “Special Package” with more goodies like a 6.1 Infinity sound system (4 speakers, 2 tweeters, 1 subwoofer) with a 420 watt external amplifier and a 6-CD in-dash changer, ESP stability control, 215/50R17 Michelin Pilot Premacy-wrapped 17″ wheels, powered driver’s seat, and suede/leather upholstery.

Both models will be available with a 4-speed auto gearbox, as the 5-speed units are only available for the 2.7 liter engine. Expect a classy black interior with real aluminium trim, similiar to the locally assembled Kia Sportage.

Have a look at more pics and videos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of 2007 Kia Optima 2.0 soon?

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Kia will be revealing a new concept car at the 2007 Frankfurt International Motor Show called the Kia Sports Coupe Concept. Like it’s namesake, it will be a sports coupe wth a 2+2 seating configuration. It was designed by Kia’s design team in Europe led by Kia’s Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer.

“Kia has given me the opportunity to shape its whole brand design and character. Seldom does a designer have such a clean sheet to work with. We started this exciting journey with the Kia ex_ceed cabrio concept at the Geneva Show back in March, and at Frankfurt Im sure Kia will surprise the entire automotive world when people see our new sports coupe concept in the metal.”

What does the Subaru Tribeca and the Ssangyong Kyron have in common? They both had unorthodox design elements in their initial design, but after a facelift, they look alot better! Even though the Ssangyong Kyron was an able machine, alot were turned off by the fussy design and the shape of its rear taillamps which were somewhat shaped like a shield. The facelifted Kyron gets a new tail end design, a few other design updates here and there, and is 50mm longer and 10mm wider.

More shots of the facelifted Kyron after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Ssangyong Kyron gets a facelift

A production version of the funky Kia Soul has been spotted on a trailer somewhere in Europe. Kia previously announced that it would launch the Kia Soul in 2008 as a 2009 model.

If you look at the spyshot, it looks like the production version of the small front-wheel drive five-seater SUV loses the suicide-style rear-hinged rear doors that the Kia Soul concept had.

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Related Posts:
Kia to produce 2009 Kia Soul crossover

Even though the Hyundai i30 has not gone on sale in the European market yet, MS-Design already has a sporty bodykit out for it which includes a new front bumper and rear design, front lip, side skirts, rear skirts as well as a rear spoiler. A nice touch is twin exhaust tailpipes to match the new rear bumper design.

Ride height has also been lowered with sport springs which also supposedly gives the car a sportier ride. The wheels are 7-spoke units that come default in 17 inch sizes but with an 18 inch option for those who desire something bigger.

The Hyundai i30’s brother the Kia cee’d has also been dressed up, but by Kia themselves in the form of the Kia cee’d XR. Check out the ceed’ XR in the related posts linked below.

Related Posts:
Kia developing XR range of performance vehicles
Kia cee’d XR

As previously reported, Naza has unveiled a locally assembled version of the Kia Sportage. One suprise that might come to some is that Naza has kept the Kia badge on this one, unlike it’s previous moves rebadging the Carnival, Sorento and Picanto as the Naza Ria, Naza Sorento and Naza Suria respectively.

This leads me to believe Naza might be changing it’s marketing strategy for its locally assembled Kia cars, or perhaps it is a licensing issue, or perhaps some models will always remain a Kia, locally assembled or not.

The new locally assembled Kia Sportage features a 2.0 liter DOHC CVVT (Continuously Variable Valve Timing) engine making 142 PS at 6,000rpm and 184Nm of torque at 4,500rpm mated to a 4-speed Shiftronic automatic gearbox. It’s 4WD system is Kia’s Active Torque Transfer 4WD with manual override.

Wheels are 16 inch split-spoke alloys, and other specs include reverse sensors, chrome inner dor handles, dual SRS airbags, antilock brakes, traction contol, a Saturn Black interior with metal grain trim, an MP3-capable 2-DIN head unit with both USB and AUX input matched to a 6-speaker system, a trip computer, real aluminium trim assist grip, fog lamps, as well as signal lamps on the wing mirrors.

It’s available in four colours - Smart Blue, Satin Silver, Black Cherry and Natural Olive. The Kia Sportage scored 5 Stars on the American NHSTA NCAP crash test.

It goes for RM112,000. Dealers have been taking bookings since mid-April 2007.

The Ssangyong Actyon Sports SUT is a pick-up truck that stands out among it’s competitors, and I’m not just talking about its somewhat unorthodox looks which resembles a shark with a gaping mouth, especially in white. But if you’re willing to put it’s looks aside and are interested to know more about the features and capabilities of the Ssangyong Actyon, look after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Ssangyong Actyon Sports Pick-Up Truck Test Drive

Hyundai is taking a slightly different approach to electro-combustion hybrid powertrains. It will be releasing a hybrid version of the Hyundai Elantra in 2009, and it will be powered by an LPG-electric hybrid engine!

Estimated fuel consumption for the new hybrid LPG Elantra is 30% of the standard Elantra. Hyundai decided to make an LPG hybrid for the Korean market because Liquid Petroleum Gas is cheap (half price in Korea) as well as sufficiently available at most pumping stations. There are currently only two hybrid cars sold in Korea - the Lexus RX400h and the Honda Civic Hybrid.

This move by Hyundai takes advantage of a recently announced new ruling that gives hybrid cars in Korea tax breaks and subsidies. An Elantra hybrid using gasoline for it’s combustion engine instead of LPG will be released in 2010, and this might find it’s way to the US market.

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We suddenly have another player in the pick-up truck game - the Ssangyong Actyon SUT. While most of you may have seen the Actyon around the internet in SUV form, there is also a ladder frame pick-up truck that local Ssangyong distributors Competitive Supreme have decided to bring into Malaysia.

With a power output of 141PS at 4,000rpm and 320Nm of torque between 1,800rpm to 2,700rpm, it is not class-leading as the Ranger TDCi has it beat at 143PS, but it is still one of the more high powered pick-up trucks over here in Malaysia and has the Mitsubishi Triton and Nissan Frontier beat at 138PS and 133PS respectively. But what’s different about this pick-up is 141PS and the high torque is achievable from a 2.0 liter displacement engine, while it’s competitors all use 2.5 liter and 3.0 liter engines. This means road tax savings especially if you register the Actyon SUT as a business vehicle.

The XDi 2.0 liter engine is a commonrail direct injection engine based on Mercedes Benz technology, and uses a variable geometry turbocharger. It’s gearbox is a 4-speed unit, and has a low range transfer case, switchable between high and low ranges via push buttons.

The interior looks very passenger car-like, plus there is plenty of creature comforts such as electric powered front seats, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, and a black leather interior. It’s definitely looking like good value - good equipment, plus a Mercedes Benz-based engine with a lower displacement to save on road tax.

The Ssangyong Actyon SUT will have a price tag of somewhere in the RM90,000 range, and will be assembled at Competitive Supreme’s plant in Pahang. Look after the jump for more photos of the Ssangyong Actyon SUT.

Look after the jump for more photos and a video.

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Click here to read the rest of Ssangyong Actyon SUT pick-up truck in Malaysia