The Kia Picanto – Kia’s smallest car – gets a three-door body, for the first time in its history, mainly to meet the demands of the European market which tends to like 3-door A-segment cars just as much as their more practical 5-door siblings.
According to Kia, the market for A-segment cars (Picanto-sized city cars) will be about 2.4 million units in 2014, and 3.3 million by 2015. And about a third of this demand will be for 3-door A-segment cars, so without this 3-door Picanto, Kia will have no car to offer to this 1 million odd buyers. In the UK, the split between 5-door and 3-door are even closer 55 to 45 between the 5 and 3 door.
Kia did not simply remove 2 doors and replace them with fixed sheet metal. The main grille opening is larger than that on the five-door and is available with silver or red trim surrounds. The front bumper has been re-profiled to make the car appear wider and lower. There are also new doors, rear panels and glass aft of the A-pillar. The rear bumper has a faux diffuser design as well.
There are two petrol engine options – a 1.0 liter and a 1.25 liter from the Kappa family, making 68hp/95Nm and 84hp/121Nm respectively. Look after the jump for a small gallery of the Picanto 3-door.
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