2018 Kia Ceed Goes Official With All-New Styling And More Tech

The second-generation Kia Cee'd is a big seller for the Korean brand with over 640,000 finding homes since its inception in 2012. However, competition is tough with rivals such as the Honda Civic, Volkswagen Golf  and soon-to-be-revealed 2018 Ford Focus upping their game. The all-new Kia Ceed has been revealed before its debut at the Geneva motor show.

Note "Ceed" and not "Cee'd" as Kia has removed the apostrophe to make the car appear more universal. What does "Ceed" stand for? "Community of Europe, with European Design."

The new Ceed continues Kia's signature "Tiger Nose" grille tradition and those funky ice-cube daytime running lights are standard across the range. This model has matured leaving behind creases and tapering lines in favor of a more straight-laced design. Is it less adventurous than its predecessor? We'll leave you to decide. More overt are the car's distinctive taillights with an intricate lighting signature. Your choices of wheels range from 15-inch steel wheels on the base car, up to the smart 17-inch diamond-cut alloys pictured.

Kia claims that this interior is of high quality and more ergonomic than before. The center console is angled towards the driver for ease of use and a greater number of soft-touch materials feature. There are a range of trims to choose from that supplement the cabin with faux-leather, aluminium, glossy plastics and real leather, depending upon which grade you go for. Trunk space is a Volkswagen Golf-surpassing 395 liters.

Automatic lights and keyless entry comes as standard, but it's possible to grow the car's touchscreen to 8 inches and enjoy your favorite music via a premium JLB sound system. You can also option an in-car Wi-Fi hotspot to keep the kids connected (and quite) on long journeys. A tech first for Kia is "level two autonomy" in the form of lane keeping assistance and active cruise control. The car will keep a safe distance from other traffic and makes sure that it remains within its lane should it stray.

There's a good selection of petrol and diesel engines on offer including a new 1.6-liter diesel that "goes beyond" the already strict Euro 6d TEMP emissions regulations. It can be had in two states of tune, 113 hp and 134 hp. Gasoline power comes in the form of a turbocharged three-cylinder 118-hp 1.0-liter, a naturally aspirated 99-hp 1.4-liter, and a new turbo 138-hp 1.4-liter that replaces the old naturally aspirated 1.6 unit.

All cars come with a 6-speed manual transmission, but the new 1.4-liter gasoline and 1.6-liter diesel engines can be had with Kia's seven speed double-clutch transmission. Every Ceed also receives Kia's 7-year, 100,000-mile warranty.

Pricing has yet to be announced, but we do know that the car is expect to arrive in Europe in the following months.