By Ryu Jin
Staff Reporter
Kia Motors’ ``Cee’d’’ has been selected as one of the best cars in Europe _ it was ranked fourth in the ``Car of the Year’’ awards by European motoring journalists, following the Fiat 500, Mazda 2 and Ford’s Mondeo.
Approved by 58 jury members from 22 countries, the Cee’d beat famous contenders such as the Toyota Auris, Nissan Tiida and Peugeot 308, to snatch the No. 1 title in the C-segment for compact cars, according to Kia Motors Tuesday.
It is the first time that a South Korean-made vehicle has received the annual award. The Cee’d, which Kia Motors developed as a strategic model for Europe, also got a five-star safety rating in the Euro-NCAP (New Car Assessment Program) crash test last August.
The Fiat 500 took top place with 385 points with a significant lead over the Mazda 2 with 325 points, and the Ford Mondeo with 202 points. The Cee’d received 166 points, followed by the Nissan Qashqai, Mercedes-Benz C Class and Peugeot 308.
``It is a great achievement that our Cee’d was ranked so high in the prestigious awards,’’ a company spokesman said. ``We expect that it will help to improve the brand’s image and its sales in the European market.’’
A five-door hatchback equipped with six airbags as standard, the Cee’d got excellent scores in the front and side impact, and child protection tests in August. It was also the first time for the South Korean-made car to receive such ratings from the Euro-NCAP.
Kia Motors developed Cee’d to seize a bigger slice of the regional market. Kia Motors recently unveiled its the 100,000th five-door hatchback at its Zilina plant in Slovakia which produces all of the models.
Kia Motors, the second-largest carmaker in South Korea, makes more than 1.3 million cars a year through 12 manufacturing and assembly operations in eight nations. It is part of the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group along with Hyundai Motor, the top automaker, here.