In our last post we covered the all-new cee’d’s exterior design thanks to Kia Buzz Official Blog. Now we’re making our way inside to break down its sporty interior.

See also All-new Kia cee’d Design Story I – Exterior

See also Our review of the All-New Kia cee’d

Design Goal

‘Innovative with emotional appeal’ was the design goal for the cee’d with the intention of capturing the hearts of consumers. How? By creating an interior with a plethora of convenience features that are laid out both stylishly and elegantly. The inside is futuristic, dynamic and appealing with its refined scheme and sleek surfaces.

Designed for Drivers

This might sound like we’re stating the obvious, but the cee’d’s interior was designed with driver convenience in mind. In other words, form should follow function. The crash pad, displays and switches were all grouped and placed in a way that makes any driver feel instantly familiar with them. The crash pad and center fascia were also extended horizontally as much as possible to create a comfortable look for all passengers.

The sporty cluster has a three-cylinder layout with a 7-inch LCD display that efficiently communicates information to drivers while creating a high tech image. Developed in close collaboration with our European designers, the center fascia was designed with attention given to even the smallest details such as buttons, sounds, color and even how each switches and levers feel when operated.

The floor console was also designed with an asymmetrical and voluminous body to provide maximum driver convenience. Storage space was increased and an adjustable arm rest was fitted for added convenience.

A voluminous door trim design was employed to convey a more luxurious expression, while other design details were redone to give a more sophisticated and organized feel. Uniquely shaped door handles, insert parts, chrome-plated garnish and numerous other design options are offered as extras in order to satisfy different tastes of drivers.

The sleek seats are covered with fabrics that feature stereoscopic color mix, creating a dynamic image and yet conveying a sense of security. The high performance version cee’d comes equipped with sports car seats by Recaro with an enhanced headrest design, side cushions and surface treatment, providing exceptional support for drivers.

Color

Great attention was paid to the cee’d’s color schemes for maximum appeal to motorists. ‘Luxurious’ and ‘polished’ were the top priorities for the color palette. In collaboration with the European Design Center, we first analyzed the lifestyle of our target audience and current trends in Europe and then began color coordination work based on the findings.

We ruled out a great many colors to narrow down our choices to those that would convey a sporty and well-appointed look. For example, a number of dark metallic blue colors were created a the sportier image and several brown colors were created for consumers who prefer a more luxurious look.

Although the cee’d is a midsize car, we aimed to improve its emotional appeal so that it is on par with more expensive and larger family cars, while maintaining the charms which made the first generation cee’d so successful. Aiming for the tastes of European motorists in their 30s and 40s, the interior color scheme was selected to provide a sense of stability plus extravagance and sportiness.

In the end, a black one-tone color scheme and beige one-tone color scheme were selected as the main color sets that would satisfy both practicalityand sleekness. The black color scheme was designed to create a secure and practical look to appeal to a wide spectrum of customers with a metallic touch giving it a slightly sporty feel. By contrast, the beige color scheme is warm and bright, appealing to consumers who prefer a more elegant look. The black & brown color scheme gives the cee’d’s interior a whole new look, unfound in any basic one-tone color scheme.

A combination of leather and textiles were used to create a warm, natural and comfortable feel. Furthermore, we enlarged the PSM (Plasma Systems and Materials) part of the crash pad to create a more luxurious look. Black high glossy insert films were used to prevent scratches, which is an improvement over the 1st generation cee’d, and a glossy chrome coating was used for a more polished look.

What do you think about the all new cee’d, now that you know more about its detailed design scheme?