Kia Will Build The Badass Proceed Shooting Brake, Just Not For America

From the moment we saw it at Frankfurt last September we wanted it. The stunning Kia Proceed shooting brake concept, we were told, previews the next-generation Cee'd family which, of course, is Europe only. But during our discussions with a few Kia executives, nothing has been ruled out for a US-spec version. But Autocar has learned that a production-spec Proceed shooting brake will be the new range topper in the Europe-only Cee'd lineup.

The current three-door Cee'd is on its way out, while a new compact SUV and the five-door shooting brake are on the way in, as well as a more conventional five-door hatchback. The shooting brake variant is the big deal here. Clearly Kia is taking a chance with it, but we were also told at Frankfurt it was waiting to hear media and public reaction to the concept before making a production decision. Clearly the feedback was positive enough. What's interesting is that no other mainstream brand currently builds a shooting brake-type model. The closet you get comes from premium luxury brands, specifically the Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo.

Kia is beginning to look beyond crossovers with the goal of being the first to identify the next big thing, so to speak. "The thing is, people who bought crossovers and SUVs ten years ago because it was new and no one had it, those guys are starting to look at the market and say 'Everyone has a crossover or SUV, so what's next?' This (a five-door shooting brake) could be a good alternative for what we call 'early adapters' to new trends," a Kia executive explained to us. But what about the US? For now, no shooting brake. However, it could be possible to modify the new Stinger's Sportback body style. Going from Sportback to shooting brake can't be that difficult, can it?