Kia is bringing a couple of big debuts to Geneva, two products of which - the Cee'd and Pro_cee'd GT - you'll be able to buy soon and one - the Provo concept - hinting at things to come. Both are based around the same 204hp 1.6 GDI engine, direct-injected, twin-scroll turbocharged and packing 195lb ft.
Provo concept positively ripples with ambition
our earlier story
the Pro_cee'd GT is, officially, 'warm' rather than 'hot' but will hit 0-62 in 7.7 seconds in its standard six-speed manual form whether you've got five or Pro_- prefixed three doors. 171g/km and 38.1mpg aren't quite up with the best but the GT is usefully quicker than the warmer Astras and Golfs and certainly looks the part of junior GTI chaser.
Given Kia doesn't have any hot hatch provenance it's probably best to start with realistic expectations and work up, a limited run of 500 Pro_cee'd GT 1st Edition nonetheless showing there's a degree of hype building going on. A 'handful' will make it to the UK, black 18-inch wheels, a smattering of red stitching, black mirror housings and a generous spec all part of the package.
The Provo, meanwhile, is a B-segment 'urban' hot-hatch hinted at in an earlier release that looks a bit like a drastically shortened Camaro with a funky orange roof.
Stunted Camaro looks over turbo-hybrid power
Based around the same 204hp 1.6 turbo engine, this time driving through Kia's first seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, the Provo also gets regeneratively charged electric motors driving the rear wheels. These can give you a 45hp boost or the option of a zero emissions 'creep' mode in traffic for, it says here, stealthy driving.
If the tech is believable the styling is pure motor show bluster but, hey, since when has that been a bad thing. It's a concept, right? Which is why the interior is, says design boss Gregory Guillaume, "black - very black" while combining such tactile materials as neoprene over carbon on the door skins with smatterings of aluminium around the place for good measure.
Interior is 'black, very black' says design boss
Good clean motor show fun, the Provo shows Kia's ambition is still burning strong and suggests that on all fronts - style, technology and market position - the Koreans are as keen as ever to push the European brands hard on all fronts.
