Kia Picanto – Following on from the recent launch of the all-new Picanto city car Kia is introducing a three-door version to the line-up for the first time since the model appeared in 2004. The distinctively styled three-door version, with a new range of trim levels, will go on sale in the UK from 1st September.
The three-door Picanto has a unique, sporty character while still managing to deliver the same, seemingly contradictory, upgrades as the more family-focused five-door: stronger performance with lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, the safety and luxury features of a large car without an outrageous price tag, and practicality within a compact package. If the five-door Picanto is ‘the small car, grown up’, then the three-door is the same but with a twinkle in its eye.
Why we’ve created the three-door
City-car sales – referred to as the A-segment in Europe – are increasing all over the world as the costs of buying and owning cars gets more prohibitive and many people are downsizing.
Globally, the market for Picanto-sized cars in 2014 will be around 2.4 million. By 2015 – well within the second-generation Picanto’s life cycle – that will have grown to 3.3 million. Around a million of these will be three-door cars. Without a three-door model, Kia would have nothing to offer 30% of buyers in one of the most dynamic sectors of the market.
In the UK, the importance of the three-door car is even more pronounced: the sales split between body styles in the A-segment is a slender 55:45 in favour of five-door models.
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By
Hammad
