Kia set itself on the road to automotive maturity in 2006 with its determinedly non-Korean cee'd - which was designed by a Hungarian, Miklos Kovacs, in Russelsheim, Germany, and built in its plant in Slovakia.
Now all that distinctive Eastern European flavour will be accentuated at this year's Geneva Motor Show with the debut of the second generation of the smart car with the silly name.
The new five-door cee'd hatch is longer, wider and lower than its predecessor, albeit on the same wheelbase, with fashionable coupé-like proportions emphasised by a steeply raked A pillar, a very low belt-line in the front and long side windows.
The nose is, of course, all about the Kia chief designer Peter Schreyer's signature 'tiger face' grille, set between wraparound headlight clusters that include LED daytime running lights.
COCKPIT-STYLE DASHBOARD
In profile the sweeping roofline and integral rear spoiler accentuate the sporty look of the glasshouse and, at the rear, special tail lights extends into the adjacent bodywork.
The interior trim has been styled for higher perceived quality with improved switchgear, touch-screen technology and enhanced driving position ergonomics.
A cockpit-style dashboard wraps the main control panel around the steering wheel to place all the switchgear within easy reach, while the infotainment groups such as audio and air-conditioning have been separated to create an upmarket, big-car feel.
The instruments and switchgear are picked out with very thin chrome trim, the handles are laminated and the door opener is a one-piece sculpted shell.
The Kia release says nothing about engines. However, since it shares a platform with the Hyundai i30 which, we are reminded, was also designed at Russelsheim, it's likely to have a similar range of engines, with Europeans getting to choose from 1.4 and 1.6-litre petrol engines, led by the 99kW/164Nm Gamma engine with direct fuel injection.
Diesel choices will most likely also include 1.4 (66kW) and 1.6-litre (73 or 88kW) capacities, with the Blue Drive sub-brand offering idle-stop technology, low-rolling-resistance tyres and an alternator management system to bring CO2 emissions down as low as 100g/km in the 1.6 diesel variant.
There no plans as yet to release the cee'd in South Africa, but Kia SA is busy as you read this with a feasibility study.