Before Cee’d and After Cee’d
The Kia Cee’d, specifically the version with the apostrophe in its name, marked a turning point in the brand’s history in 2007. It proved worthwhile to design and build a car specifically developed for Europe. In Europe, of course.
We all know the term AC/DC. If not from the rock band, then from the designations for alternating and direct current – long a common term in the automotive world. But who is familiar with BC/AC? That has nothing to do with advanced electrical engineering, but everything to do with Kia’s eventful history. More precisely: with the immense growth it has experienced, where BC/AC marks the turning point. A friendly mechanic and former Kia dealer explains that this term in closed Kia circles stands for Before Cee’d and After Cee’d . Indeed, the period before Kia introduced the Cee’d and the period after. Not so strange, as it was the brand’s first model specifically developed for Europe, moreover designed by a European team in the new, own German design center.
Seven-year warranty on the Cee’d
The Cee’d may have been the opposite of a stylistic highlight, but it was also precisely the palatable morsel that the average European car buyer so eagerly wanted on the menu. The kindly styled five-door hatchback turned out to be almost as balanced as its iconic competitors Golf, Focus, and Astra, but was significantly cheaper. It also came standard with a reassuring seven-year warranty, a unique feature in the automotive world. Predecessor Cerato, as an exponent of Kia’s BC era, was instantly forgotten, while later models, mood from the AC period, usually drove towards a flourishing future. Examples include (the later generations of) the Rio, Picanto, Niro, Sportage, Stonic, and Sorento.
Apostrophe later removed
Also noteworthy was Kia’s choice to build the car in Europe, for which Slovakia was chosen, and to give it a name that made spell checkers of journalists worldwide work overtime. That quirky Cee’d, moreover written without a capital letter by the manufacturer, stood for Community of Europe (CE) and European Design (ED). The funky apostrophe was thanked for its confusing services with the arrival of a later generation, after which the car, as Ceed, continued to operate neatly in the C-segment for years. Among others, as the now excitingly styled Pro_ceed. Yes, including that tricky underscore. Spell checkers can breathe a sigh of relief: the successor is called K4.