Kia Picanto on the cards for Australia

Kia Australia is lobbying its Korean headquarters for the Picanto city car – but demand in Europe means the requests have so far fallen on deaf ears.

Kia wants to fill a void in its line-up now that the Rio small car has moved up in size and price. The entry price for a Kia until recently was $12,990 drive-away, it's now moved up to $16,290 plus on-road costs.

Kia Australia also wants to cash-in on the growing sub-light, 'city-car' class. Three new entrants in just three years have proven to be increasingly popular as Australians continue to downsize vehicles and become more pennywise. The small-engined trio of the Suzuki Alto, Holden Barina Spark and Nissan Micra 1.2 have quickly become staples of the category.

"We believe there is a position for the Picanto in Australia," said Kia Australia spokesman Kevin Hepworth.

"We would love to get the car, we have asked for the car, and we have put up a business case.

"So far [Kia in Korea] has not been able to supply us the vehicle, but we will keep asking for it."

If Kia Australia's call for more cars is answered, the Picanto could be in local showrooms by the middle of next year at the earliest. However, the Picanto is yet to be certified to meet Australian standards, a formality that typically takes up to eight months. It has at least one head-start though: it's already being built in right-hand-drive.

The Picanto is available with 1.0-litre three-cylinder or 1.2-litre four-cylinder petrol engines in the UK.

Kia Australia is undecided on which engine it would take if it were offered the car, but after a brief drive of both engine types in Germany, it's apparent that either would easily feel at home on Australian roads.

"We would consider every engine in the range but it's up to [Kia in Korea] to decide what they'd make available, if they were to make the car available," said Hepworth.

"At this stage there is no official program."

The 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, newly designed in-house by Hyundai-Kia, is one of the most efficient engines of its type in the world, with more power and torque and better economy than other three-cylinder petrol engines.

A German autobahn may not seem like the ideal place to test such a small-engined car but, on the contrary, the exercise proved the vehicle was no slouch.

Plenty of gearchanges were required to go with the flow, and acceleration is not exactly brisk, but it could keep pace with most of the traffic – except, of course, in the unrestricted zones.

The 1.2-litre four felt more like a conventional engine and had noticeably more urge than the 1.0.

Overall, both versions of the car were competent. If priced correctly, they could give bargain shoppers some new alternatives.

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