Kia to Boost Australian Range with pro_cee'd GT

SYDNEY – Marc 4, 2013: Kia Motors Australia has confirmed that the red-hot pro_cee’d GT turbo will become the performance hero in Kia’s Australian garage.

The stunning three-door hatch made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show today with the news that Australia will be the first, and currently only, market outside Europe to take the sleek street performer.

“It is incredibly exciting news for us,” Kia Motors Australia Chief Operating Officer Tony Barlow said. “This is a whole new level of performance for Kia Australia and the fact that it is wrapped in a sensational package of style and safety is icing on the cake.”

Mr Barlow said it was too early to give a firm arrival date for the car or any indication of price, promising only that it would be available in selected Australian dealerships as early as feasible.

“The pro_cee’d GT does not go on sale in Europe until the middle of the year, so we currently have no indication of when our production may be available,” Mr Barlow. “For the moment it is exciting enough to know we will get the car and that when we do it will undergo the full ride and handling localisation.”

Powered by Kia’s high-technology 1.6-litre GDI engine boosted by a twin-scroll turbocharger and strengthened internal components, the pro_cee’d GT puts out 150kW and 265Nm of torque _ an increase in maximum power of 51 per cent over the naturally aspirated model. The torque figure is an increase of 61 per cent over the stock 1.6 GDI.

The pro_cee’d GT will come standard with a six-speed manual gearbox and is capable of a 0-100km/h sprint of 7.7 seconds and a top speed of 230km/h.

The pro_cee’d GT was designed in Kia’s European studios under the direction of President and Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer.