Cee’d MPV heads up Kia assault

It started with a single Cee’d – and now Kia is flourishing after baring its new Soul!

The Korean company is planning a raft of new cars, promising to up the ante with some stunning metal over the next five years.

A new mini-MPV based on the Soul’s platform is due in showrooms next November, and it will compete with the Vauxhall Meriva. Codenamed ‘YN’ by Kia insiders, this car will look like a bigger Cee’d.

However, there will be an even more practical model in showrooms by mid-2009 – the new Sorento. With styling borrowed from the KND-4 concept, the off-roader should inject more flair into the brand.

In addition, a new Magentis saloon will appear at the end of 2010, with a hybrid following in 2011, as well as a replacement for the Sportage SUV. An insider even told us that a fresh Kia logo is on the drawing board.

An eco-friendly Cee’d hatchback is also on the way, due to hit showrooms at the end of next year. It will feature Kia’s ISG system (Idle Stop and Go), which mimics the stop-start technology found in some BMWs. This cuts out the engine when the car is stopped and in neutral. The eco_cee’d will feature a mild hybrid system, mating an electric motor to a 1.6-litre petrol engine, and will also have low rolling resistance tyres and aerodynamic changes.

It should return more than 70mpg and emit only 114g/km of CO2. Kia will offer some of the green innovations found on the eco_cee’d on standard models from early next year, too.