Hot Kia Cee'd planned

Kia is expected to unveil a warm hatch version of the all-new Kia Cee’d when it launches the three-door version of the car in 12 to 18 months' time.

The three-door version is previewed here for the first time in this leaked official design sketch.

The car is expected to be powered by the same 1.6-litre turbocharged engine in the Hyundai Veloster Turbo launched at the recent Geneva motor show. Hyundai has tuned the twin-scroll turbocharged unit to 183bhp and 199lb ft of torque, but insiders say Kia technicians are considering upping those figures.

An insider told Autocar: “It’s clear that the engine can deliver exceptional figures across a very wide band if it is tuned accordingly. The argument at the moment is whether to go for a headline-grabbing figure around 220bhp or to aim for around 200bhp and greatly improve the power delivery.

“The decision that needs to be made is what will sell most cars – an eye-catching top-end figure or a car that customers get in to, take for a test drive and are blown away by the experience.”

The Cee’d’s sister car, the Hyundai i30, is also set to spawn a hot hatch version. Hyundai’s European boss Allan Rushforth said at the new i30’s launch last month: “We have talked about hot hatches and are considering versions not only with more performance, but dynamic improvements to ride and handling, too.”