A Korean hot hatch? Yes, that is what’s being planned at fast growing Kia, which wants a Golf GTI rivaling halo model for its next generation Cee’d. The Cee’d is a C-segment hatchback sold in Europe with with three bodystyles – five-door hatch, wagon, and a sportier three-door hatch. The hot hatch will be based on the latter, which will debut in 2013, one year after the new five-door appears at Geneva 2012.
“We are preparing turbocharged engines. We are tuning suspension and we are preparing a Golf GTI rival,” Lee Soon Nam Lee, Kia’s overseas marketing director told Autocar UK. The firm’s COO Thomas Oh added that this halo car will not be a loss-making venture. “It must be economically viable in terms of volumes,” he said.
Possible powerplants include Hyundai’s 2.0 litre Theta II turbocharged GDI engine, as seen in the Sonata 2.0T with 274 hp and 375 Nm, but Kia is leaning towards a new 1.6-litre turbo GDI engine, tuned for over 200 horses, in line with the current minimum emissions downsizing trend.
Autocar UK tells us to expect Seat Leon Cupra performance and price. That Volkswagen 2.0 TSI powered hatch has 241 PS, 300 Nm and a 6.4 sec 0-100 km/h time. It’s priced at £22,180 in the UK.
i like hot hatch~
Stop daydreaming kia!
that’s why u cant afford a lambo, that’s why you are where u are and couldnt go any higher
Wat u talking? Is tat a poem or wat?
lol dont bother if u dont get it.just give up
Actually that’s what Honda, Toyota and many major car-makers said.
They are listening…..
What talk you???
Cant comprehend the ‘words of wisdom’?
Ok lets put it simple. The Korean automotive company named Kia are listening to the market demand and going to produce a hatchback model to match its rival Volkswagen Golf GTi.
Need me to translate to other language also can… :)
While KIA already taken action, Toyota still sleeping, ask their salesman to tell the malaysians that 4 speed auto gearbox is the ‘best’ and ‘most efficient’?
hey, wake up! There are only 2 countries can product 7 speed gear box, 1 is Germany, another is Japan. Still 4 speed meh? R u from 90s or wat?
And Hyundai is making 8-speed gearbox. Damn kiasu Koreans…..
Kia will be producing dual clutch system in par with vw
Err….tutu, I think u r from the 80’s. Camry 2.0 still a 4 speeder.
Autocar UK tells us to expect Seat Leon Cupra performance and price. might as well get a seat leon cupra then
Get that and you get Seat Leon price, get this and you get a Naza price with under 100K.
everyone seems to be working on a VW Golf rivals… VW should be proud. =P
i wonder if other manufacturers will shift their focus to hot hatch for C-segment from now? (or better still, bring more coupe model into mly market.)
goodbye VW…Kia is going to hunt you down…forte already better than passat…
I can’t agree with you on this, forte better than passat??? Do you even know both cars are in different segment and yet not to talk about class.
I agree kia is doing a fantastic job compare to a lot of other autocar maker, but they are still not in vw class yet.
No doubt that Kia and Hyundai deserve credit for their progress in recent years, but since when is a Forte better than a Passat?!
They don’t even compete in the same category/segment.
You poor deluded fool…
bro, you must be joking are u not?
is forte even in the same class as a passat??? why dont u compare your forte to the BMW 5-series/Merc E-Class then…
lol bro… just lol….:)
DT,
You get our blood boiling
by putting the price tag at the end of your article !!
Teaser !!
:)
Malaysian will not be able to enjoy good car like this as they wouldn’t bring the GDI engine in to Malaysia.
wondering when our proton will be like this korean auto company..
haih
go up against golf gti???
polo gti 1.4 also i already doubt this cee’d can fair when u show it some corners…. what more to say a golf GTI….
nuff said…. i praise the koreans for having visions tho…..
Sad to say the reality nowadays is that german cars are no longer as reliable as korean cars and especially japanese…check the reliability surveys…that’s why koreans are selling so well in the states…and they are making cars comparable to german quality standards (Hyundai Equus)…in the handling department I’m not sure….but they can make good handling cars when they try (Hyundai Coupe <<praised by Top Gear team for handling)…
bro neutral,
i think what u mean by no longer as reliable as korean cars is because nowadays most people tend to buy recon german cars for it’s cheapness compared to the german cars made for local weather condition…
most mechanics will agree on this as the weather condition settings for recon cars are made for a cooler Japan and not a warmer Malaysia….
but well, that is just my opinion as i know of a friend of mine who own a recon mk 5 golf gti and myself owning a local cbu mk 5 gti… and his really does break down more often…:)
True about reconditioned cars, but also true about poor reliability of SOME “German” cars.
Read any overseas (UK/US/Australian) car blogs, and there seems to be a growing number of disgruntled VW and Beamer owners.
I know this first hand as I own a non-recon Z4, and it’s caused some annoying problems. My neighbour owns a Mk5 GTI (also non-recon) and he’s also had a fair bit of trouble with it. That said though, my brother who lives overseas also owns a Mk5 GTI but he’s not had any troubles at all
Maybe because some of the so-called “German” cars are no longer made in Germany?
another cerita dogeng…
Not cerita dongeng. Read the foreign blogs and forums and you’ll find a lot of Merc & Beemer owners insulting their own cars.
watch this -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yc4P6VdIPRE&feature=related
Even durability toyota & honda cant compete with VW, how korean car gonna fight with it?
Durability and reliability are two different things altogether
I think it a tough job to do… GTi is a legendary hot-hatch, its not about the horsepower that make it better than GTi. Kia also have to make Cee’d interior a top-notch in order to be a GTi rival.
This next generation Cee’d would be renamed as next generation Forte if coming here, because Cee’d is only available in Europe, where Forte is not sold there.
small kid with big dreams.. is like, “daddy, i want to be No1 F1 driver when i grow up”
yeah, slowly wait and see =)
wether they’re able to do it o not,we’ll see…but big applause for thier ambition and effort to go another step further!i may not,drive korean car,but respect of wht they tryin to achieve..this is wht toyota,honda used to be…now,koreans r coming,dont b surprise if next decade,ppl talk bout how fast,cool koreans car is…
Remind me when P1 claim Waja as BMW of asian & Savvy as my first Lotus. :-)
Kia don’t get it, is not about the engine performance nor outlook, Golf GTI is a legend, it had been in the market since 74, Kia simply don’t have the root nor the repo to rival VW Golf GTI.
Kia can have day dream but don’t get big headed.
Well, you gotta start somewhere. If VW didn’t have the vision and will to build the Golf GTI, would it be such an icon today?
Ah. Its the legendary Korean Basher Jolo. Where is your bed partner maserati? Too much orgasms?
Anyway, where were you when Honda produced the NSX? I doubt u were even born.
They were ridiculed cause they were going against ferraris and lambos, but it was a great first step for them. Look at where are they right now
I also look forward to this as I prefer all other car manufacturer will have this vision. Not necessary they must win VW, if they can win or rival then all the better for consumer.
Got vision better than no vision mah……
KIA may sell well in country like malaysia even if they don’t have performance of GTI. The most important is price and look. GTI is way too expensive for most malaysian. That’s why you see lots of people modify their car so as to look like another more famous car. Proton with Mitsubushi logo.
This is so funny… Mitsubishi wannabe… it’s so unfortunate that because of the ‘free money in the pocket’ policy that caused them cannot afford the original/ real thing…
The price to GTI could has been much cheaper if not because of our government policy to protect the 2 national cars.They should have place them on level battle field with other imported car, then only they will improve. I remember KIA is not much better than proton 10 to 20 years ago. But look at today between KIA and proton, such a big gap.
Korean government also protecting their car with their own policy, our problem is the management… Kia’s got better management skill than proton.
By the time KIA launch this car VW GTI MK7 will come with a 7 speed DSG with 250hp and 300nm torque whereas KIA will only come with a 6 speed auto and built quality is uncomparable.
VW GTI will continue to set the benchmark.
i like that kia hatchback…..nice car…
Aiyah ! Talk only Anybody can talk big mah !
Hyundai Getz also said to be rival for VW Polo do u see that become reality ?
Kia actually went Bankrupt back in 97 due rapid over expanding, look like History may just repeat itself again.
No wonder their car also name KIA Cee’d in Hokkien mean “Takut Mati”
Whatever Golf GTi still is my dream car!
I rather buy Mini Cooper or atleast Jazz than this wannabe Volkwagen. Why Kia always copycat Honda,Toyota and Now Volkwagen Kia not listening they just copy from other. Korea now more likely become China.
your command of English must be poor or you are just a fool (i think its both). the article says that Kia is making a car to compete with Golf GTi not copying GTi!
BTW the only manufacturers who can proudly are really original when it comes to design are Europeans, especially the Italians. but in malaysial, we rather get chicks who are fcking ugly, airport, no s$$ then getting a hot Italian chick with t&a to die for bcos ugly chicks are easier to maintain.
Do u know japan used to be in that position in the 60s-70s?
They copied a lot of things from the US and europe.
Look at where they are today.
No offence Kia, maybe you can try to compete with Satria Neo first?
wat a joke….why would the world’s 4th largest automaker try to compete with a rubbish Neo from a third world country automaker named Potong who does nothing except ASSembling half cuts using scraps….
Why, may I ask, is everyone so convinced that a GTI rival is wishful thinking on Kia’s part? I mean, yes, it is a challenge, and the odds ARE against them. I mean, it’s VW. The only car company to blow their rivals away in terms of reliability, practicality, AND driving experience all at once.
But Kia has made massive strides in the past decade, and I see no indication of them slowing down. I, for one, look forward to their efforts in this area, and if they come up with a Kia-priced hot hatch that is even 70% of what the GTI is, I will happily support them.
By the time we get it … I might already be a dad and having kids …. not being able to buy one anymore …
Such a freaking long way away …
I do remember one time Proton Waja was comparing itself to BMW …