Kia has announced that they are going to use "XR" to badge their upcoming performance models. Kia unveiled the Cee'd XR in South Korea last week. The five-door hatchback had larger wheels and various body refinements. Kia is still working on possible turbocharged engines for the Euro market and a supercharged engine for the U.S. market.
The supercharged Kia would compete against the WRX, Dodge Caliber SRT, and other various models.
The new model is part of Kia's plans to raise sales in the U.S. from 315,000 units last year to 627,000 by 2010.
Full Story: Autocar
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Comments (13)
Looks like an early 2k Lexus IS front end merged w/ a Mazda3 rear end.
Posted by Jon | May 22, 2007 1:21 PM
Posted on May 22, 2007 13:21
looks like a cheap volkswagon gti.
Posted by justin | May 22, 2007 1:36 PM
Posted on May 22, 2007 13:36
Exactly what I was thinking, cheap GTI.
Throw on some better wheels, get the GTI's paddle shifters, and a nice turbo engine, then they've got something.
Posted by Darmok | May 22, 2007 2:06 PM
Posted on May 22, 2007 14:06
Its a Kia? Not even on the same page as the WRX, let alone the STI. Kia should go back to making toasters.
Posted by disguy | May 22, 2007 2:27 PM
Posted on May 22, 2007 14:27
Looks like crap.... Subaru's have too much quality for the kia to compete with. Hence the reason SRT-4's are driven mainly by dueche bags. Now they'll have something to drive when they crash their neon.
Posted by The Man | May 22, 2007 4:11 PM
Posted on May 22, 2007 16:11
C'mon you guys... this car doesn't look that bad for copying other car manufacturers' ideas. Now that they finish copying others' idea, the biggest concern would be beefing up the engine. I'd buy one at a reasonable price/performance value, but I would take out the Kia badge. =P
Posted by betos | May 22, 2007 4:33 PM
Posted on May 22, 2007 16:33
Uhhh, have any of you guys seen the 2008 WRX? Looks like crap compared to this.....
Posted by Brad | May 22, 2007 6:06 PM
Posted on May 22, 2007 18:06
The thing that kia and hyundai don't seem to realise, is people don't buy types of cars for just the exterior looks. They buy it for the entire package, ultimately these cars just end up being cheap in every way look alikes, and don't sell that well.
Posted by mf | May 22, 2007 10:22 PM
Posted on May 22, 2007 22:22
Hey this car doesn't look too bad. If it comes with the Kia price tag, it could be a great deal. I fear that eventually the prices of the Korean autos will climb. Look at what is happening to Hyundai. They use to be in the cheap. Now they start close to the others.
Posted by NoDos | May 24, 2007 12:40 PM
Posted on May 24, 2007 12:40
"The thing that kia and hyundai don't seem to realise, is people don't buy types of cars for just the exterior looks. They buy it for the entire package, ultimately these cars just end up being cheap in every way look alikes, and don't sell that well."
Are you kidding me? Have you been paying any attention to Hyundai in the past few years? Not only do they offer an "entire package" for less than that of domestic and similar import competitors, but they have been getting great customer satisfaction feedback. I don't know what you're spewing, but you've got your info wrong.
That being said, I'd definitely consider purchasing one of these used in a few years. Seems like a fun, cheap car.
Posted by mw | May 29, 2007 5:41 PM
Posted on May 29, 2007 17:41
"The Man:
Looks like crap.... Subaru's have too much quality for the kia to compete with. Hence the reason SRT-4's are driven mainly by dueche bags."
I think the $8k - $12k price difference is a bigger factor.
Posted by Sabby | May 30, 2007 9:13 AM
Posted on May 30, 2007 09:13
If you guys want to bash kia and hyundai why dont you do some research first......Road&Track magazine said that a Hyundai was the 3rd best built car in the world behind Lexus and Porsche.....
Posted by Chris | February 22, 2008 12:52 PM
Posted on February 22, 2008 12:52
nice car
vw eat your heart out.........
Posted by daddy | May 31, 2008 3:46 PM
Posted on May 31, 2008 15:46