*NOTE: Vehicle specifications and standard equipment mentioned in this news release are for models sold in Western Europe.
KIA CANADA - Kia's design team has won four prestigious 'red dot' design awards, including a 'Best of the Best' distinction for the new Kia pro_cee'd in the product design category. The Kia cee'd five-door, cee'd Sportswagon and Rondo Urban Utility Vehicle (known as Carens in Europe) models collected 'Winner' awards.
Along with the iF product design award in November 2012, this is the second prize won by the Kia pro_cee'd before the new model goes on sale later this month. The four 2013 awards bring the total number of Kia's red dot wins to 10 since 2009. Kia's Soul, Venga, Sportage Compact Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) and Kia Optima mid-sized sedan – the latter was awarded the coveted 'Best of the Best' prize – were followed last year by awards for the Kia Rio 5-Door hatchback and the A-segment Kia Picanto.
"We are very proud of the 'red dots' that have been awarded to all of the cee'd family, along with the new Carens. And we are especially enthusiastic about the 'Best of the Best' award for the Kia pro_cee'd because, after the Kia Optima, yet another of our vehicles has received the highest honours from the jury," says Peter Schreyer, President and Chief Design Officer of Kia Motors Corporation.
"The fact that our most important compact models have won four prizes is a great acknowledgement of the work of our international design teams. Our cars have now been winning for five years in a row, which once again confirms that we are on the right path with our consistent design strategy."
red dot award: a seal of quality in product design
The Design Centre of North Rhine-Westphalia founded the red dot awards programme in 1955, and it is now one of the most prestigious design contests in the world. The internationally acclaimed seal of quality features 'product design', 'communication design' and 'design concepts and prototypes' categories. This year, 1,865 manufacturers from 54 countries submitted 4,662 products. A 37-strong jury judged the products according to nine criteria, including degree of innovation, clarity of function, formal quality and sustainability. The award presentation will be held at the Aalto-Musiktheater in Essen on July 1, 2013.
The cee'd family and the Rondo: attractive choices in the compact class
The cee'd family first launched in Europe in 2007 and is now well-established in the C-segment. The winner of the 2013 red dot 'Best of the Best' award, the three-door Kia pro_cee'd, sports a new athletic look that sets it apart from the five-door cee'd model. It is exceptionally well-specified with a high level of equipment as standard and is offered with two diesel (1.4-litre and 1.6-litre) and two gasoline (1.4-litre and 1.6-litre) engines, with up to 135 bhp and CO2 emissions from under 100 g/km.
The Kia Rondo is a new family-friendly Urban Utility Vehicle that builds on the already excellent functionality and flexibility of its predecessor with a new sleek elegance. In both its five and seven-seater configurations, the new Rondo offers an impressive specification as standard, including air conditioning, satellite radio, multifunctional steering wheel, cruise control and Bluetooth.