Kia to show off Excee'd cabrio concept in Geneva

Cee’d? No, Excee’d

23 February 2007 10:29 GMT / By Jonathan Goddard

Kia will display its Excee'd cabrio concept on at the Geneva auto show in a couple of weeks.

Styled by Kia's new chief design officer Peter Schreyer, it's based on the new three-door Cee'd hatchback, due to go into production at the Zilina factory in Slovakia from December 2007, and shares the same platform, but with new exterior panels and a powered folding fabric roof.

Schreyer consciously avoided the current trend towards cabrios with folding metal roofs, just as Audi has with its new TT Roadster. "I'm convinced the fabric roof will have a renaissance", he said. "We've all lived with the romantic idea of open-air driving for a long time and for me, the fabric roof is an essential element of a stylish convertible."

The Excee'd has a rather ungainly wedge-shaped profile and strongly sculpted wings over phat 19" rims. The concept car is finished in white with a chocolate-coloured (yeurgh) fabric roof – colours echoed in the interior's two-tone leather (yeurgh some more).