Later this week, Kia plans to introduce the newest addition to its lineup: the Proceed. The Korean automaker says the Proceed “merges stunning design with the space and versatility of a tourer in a five-door shooting brake body.” Based on these spy shots, we’ll just call it good looking.
If the Proceed looks familiar, that’s because it’s the production version of the gorgeous Proceed concept that Kia showed off at last year’s Frankfurt auto show. With styling inspired by the Stinger and a fastback roofline, it was easily one of the coolest concepts we’ve seen from Kia since the similarly stylish Sportspace concept back in 2015. Thankfully, it appears the Proceed has retained a lot more of the concept’s sleek design than the Sportspace did on its way to becoming the Optima Sportwagon.
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Up front, the concept’s aggressive aero kit has been replaced with something a bit more mainstream, but both the grille and the headlights look like they’ve barely changed. In profile, the camouflage wrap makes it a little more difficult to see how much has changed, but the roofline at least appears just as sleek, and the C-pillar’s chrome accent is still in place.
The bad news is the concept’s flared fenders look like they’ve been flattened out on the car shown here. We’ll reserve final judgment until we see the car in person, but we have a hard time believing the production Proceed will look anywhere near as dramatic as the concept. Kia probably had to change the design to keep costs down, but it’s still disappointing.
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So far, Kia hasn’t said anything about powertrains, although it’s probably safe to assume the Proceed will stay front-wheel drive and use Kia’s 201-hp turbo-four. The big question for us, though, is whether or not the Proceed will come to the U.S. Earlier this year, a conversation with the Forte’s project manager led us to speculate that Kia could be planning to do exactly that. The Proceed’s press release calls that into question, however, by claiming the Proceed was “designed, developed and engineered exclusively for Europe.”
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Hopefully, we find out more when Kia reveals the Proceed on September 13.
Source: CarPix, Kia