In a world where consumer tastes can transform almost overnight, only those companies with the ability to respond rapidly, innovatively and imaginatively to change will be able to survive and thrive.
In the automotive industry, carmakers in Europe have had to adapt to a seismic shift in market demand which has been as shocking as it has been unexpected. In just a few years, demand for compact three-door hatchbacks, once the bread-and-butter of nearly every company in the business, has fallen to almost negligible levels. As consumers migrate to SUV designs and five-door body types, carmakers have been forced to eliminate some of Europe’s most iconic three-door models from their catalogues altogether.
For South Korean car manufacturer Kia, which rose to prominence partly on the back of a reputation for reliable compact models such as the three-door Ceed, the revolution in the market could have been disastrous. Instead, the company seized the opportunity to reinvent the Ceed range and elevate the Kia brand to a higher level by launching its jaw-dropping ProCeed, a five-door shooting brake body with an emotive, swept-back design unlike anything else in its segment.
“Flexibility is the key to the future.”
Emilio Herrera, COO, Kia Motors Europe
“The ProCeed was something of a gamble for us, but a gamble that has fully paid off,” says Emilio Herrera, COO for Kia Europe. “It has added an emotional dimension to our brand and helped us attract customers who would not normally think about buying a Kia.”
Combining youthful dynamism and head-turning looks with the space and versatility of a tourer, and available exclusively as a GT Line or high-performance GT model, since the turn of the year the ProCeed has been repositioning the Kia brand and setting new standards in its market. Kia recorded its best-ever quarterly sales in Europe during the first three months of 2019, with the radical redesign of the Ceed range helping the company win share from less ambitious rivals: just in March this year, Kia sold as many models of the new ProCeed as it sold of its predecessor during all of 2018.
“There is no competitor to the ProCeed in our market.”
Artur Martins, Global Vice President Brand and Marketing, Kia Motors Corporation
“The ProCeed is an affordable product in an affordable segment but with the DNA, energy and emotion of a sports car,” says Artur Martins, global vice president brand and marketing, Kia Motors Corporation. “It has become a brand shaper for our entire company.”
As published in TIME magazine
