Rio

Make
Kia
Segment
Sedan

If you told us that one of the best-looking new cars at this year's Detroit Auto Show was going to be a Kia, we probably wouldn't have believed you - and yet we couldn't stop swooning over the sexy Stinger fastback. This radical new design direction looks set to continue, as the Korean automaker is gearing up to present a stunning new shooting brake concept car at next week's Frankfurt Auto Show designed to preview the next-generation Cee'd hatchback due in 2019.

As the show draws closer, Kia has released fresh new images of the shooting brake, which now has a name: the Kia Proceed Concept. Designed at Kia's European design center in Europe and finished in a bespoke Lava Red finish, the Proceed Concept represents an all-new body type for Kia described as an "extended hot hatch." Kia says the Proceed Concept "retains the athleticism of the current pro_cee'd model, while combining its striking visual presence with a dash of real-world versatility." The combination of a rakish roofline and muscular proportions result in a pleasingly curvaceous silhouette, complemented with a panoramic glass roof, a complete lack of B-pillars, and GT badging.

It rides on intricately designed, 20-inch six-spoke aluminium alloys, and features what Kia calls a 'Luminline' which illuminates the car's glasshouse to greet drivers as they approach the car. It's already safe to say that Kia has revealed another stunner that will hopefully pave the way for a production model with a similar design that could replace the current Kia Pro_cee'd three-door hatch. At least Kia is finally ditching the daft Pro_cee'd moniker. "With many European drivers now seeking performance alternatives to the three-door hot hatch, we began thinking about a different halo model for the cee'd family," said Kia's Europe Chief Designer Gregory Guillaume.

"The Proceed Concept represents a bold new vision of how the vibrant soul of the pro_cee'd could be reincarnated and revitalised for a new generation of performance-oriented drivers." We'll get to see whether the Kia Proceed Concept looks just as stunning in the metal next week when it makes its world debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show on September 12.