As we reported yesterday, the new generation Kia Picanto city car has gone on sale in Ireland at a starting price of €11,495. The 1.0 3-cylinder engine has CO2 emissions of 99g/km.The current car has 11 percent of the segment in Ireland, and Kia Ireland MD James Brooks (left) suggests a full year's sales in 2012 should exceed 300 units.
The LX model comes with front electric windows, remote central locking, rev counter and trip computer. The EX trim (€12,595) which is expected to be the volume seller adds extra features including, air conditioning, steering wheel audio remote control, Bluetooth, front fogs and rear electric windows.
After achieving a 5-Star safety rating in EuroNCAP crash tests with the Kia cee’d and Venga, Soul, Sportage and Sorento, Kia engineers are confident that new Picanto will prove to be one of the safest A-segment cars in both EuroNCAP and other international crash tests. Standard safety equipment features six airbags (including side curtain airbags), ESC electronic stability control, HAC hill-start assist control, and ‘active’ front seat head restraints to protect against whiplash injury in a rear impact.
An Emergency Stop Signal (ESS) system is standard. Sensors detect when the driver is braking suddenly and hard, and then flash the brake lights three times to alert following drivers that the car is slowing rapidly.
Brian Byrne asked James Brooks what the new Picanto means in the Kia Ireland context.
