Kia’s decision to launch the C’eed with a five-year warranty – seven years for powertrain – is a vote of confidence for the quality standards at the new European plant in Slovakia.

The new five-year/90,000-mile warranty will be fully transferable to subsequent car owners provided the car is maintained in line with the servicing schedule. But it’s not the first: parent Hyundai launched its five-year/unlimited mileage warranty in 2002.

Kia implies that the warranty will become standard for all new models, but it definitely won’t be extended to existing cars.

The Slovakia plant is setting new quality standards, according to Kia, which gave it the confidence to launch the warranty. Executives say even pre-production models are being built to a higher standard than cars assembled at its Korean and American plants.

The first car to be produced at the facility, C’eed, goes on UK sale in February. The five-door arrives first, followed by an estate in September and a three-door at the end of 2007. Kia is targeting 15,000 sales next year, rising to 18,000-20,000 in 2008.