Kia Launches Hot Hatch Assault With New Pro_Cee’d GT

Korean giant-slayer Kia has released the first photos for its upcoming Pro_Cee'd GT hot hatch, following details confirmed late last year.

Shown here in three-door Pro_Cee'd form, the GT will enter the European market this year as a rival to Volkswagen's Golf GTI.

As Kia's first genuine performance offering, the Pro_Cee'd GT has its work cut out for it. To get it started, Kia has packed in a 1.6 litre turbocharged four, delivering 152kW and 265Nm of torque. 

Those keeping score will recognise these details from another new performance offering here in Australia; the new Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo. 

In Pro_Cee'd GT form, Kia promises the engine, again mated to a six-speed manual transmission, will propel the hatch to 100km/h in 7.9 seconds.

While those numbers put the hot Kia nearly a second short of the Golf GTI's sprint time, the GT is expected to have a slight price advantage, hitting the UK market at around £23,000 ($34,670) - while the VW kicks off fround around £25,000 (AU$37,690).