2023 Kia XCeed crossover teased, but not for Australia

No it’s not coming to Australia, but the sporty European-market Kia XCeed crossover is about to get a refresh.

Teased in designer sketches this week, the new XCeed looks to join the wider Kia Ceed range in getting subtle design revisions including new LED lighting signatures, bumpers and alloy wheels.

For the first time the XCeed will also offer a new GT-Line trim level, which the company says “will fuse the adventurous design cues of a crossover with the sporty vibe of a focused European hatchback”.

As with the current model, the updated XCeed family will offer a range of powertrains, including 48V mild-hybrid (MHEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) options. The XCeed PHEV (along with Ceed PHEV variants) run the same 1.6-litre naturally-aspirated plug-in hybrid system as the Niro Plug-in Hybrid.

What’s an XCeed? Think of it as Europe’s sexier substitute for the Seltos that’s sold in markets like Australia, South Korea and North America. The facelifted Seltos has already been revealed, and will hit our market later in 2022.

Based on the Ceed small car – itself Europe’s equivalent to the Cerato – the XCeed is Kia’s sporty crossover competitor to the likes of the Subaru XV and Volkswagen T-Roc.

Following its European launch in 2019, a year after the wider Ceed (Hatch, Sportswagon) and ProCeed (Shooting Brake) range, the XCeed has become the best-seller of the Ceed family.

The Ceed and ProCeed were facelifted in 2021, bringing subtle design changes and the latest in Kia’s driver assistance and infotainment technologies. Like the XCeed, a range of powertrains including MHEV and PHEV options are available.

The upgraded 2023 Kia XCeed will be fully unveiled on Monday 18 July, at 08:00 BST (17:00 AEST).

While it’s almost a definite no for the Australian market, given the Ceed family shares its platform with the Cerato sold here, it could serve as an indication of what’s to come from Kia’s future small vehicle products locally.

Kia Australia sold limited numbers of the previous-generation Pro_cee’d GT in Australia, launching in March 2014. The three-door, manual-only warm hatch lasted less than two years in our market, with just 746 units sold in total.

XCeed or Seltos? Tell us which Kia SUV you’d prefer in the comments below!

MORE: 2023 Kia Seltos facelift revealed, here later this year