Naza Kia Malaysia Introduces the Modern, Innovative and Sporty All-New Kia Picanto
Kuala Lumpur, January 10, 2018 – To kick-start the first chapter of 2018, Naza Kia Malaysia today unveiled the All-New Kia Picanto. The launch by the official distributor of Kia vehicles in Malaysia took place at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC).
Now in its third generation, the All-New Kia Picanto is the only new non-national brand in the local A-segment and brings a new youthful and energetic character to the market. Boasting an assertive new innovative design, better performance and a spacious new cabin, the latest model also promises to be the most versatile car in its class.
“The Malaysian automotive A-segment market is one of the most fiercely contested segments. With the introduction of the All-New Kia Picanto, we hope to tap on this lucrative market segment and set the tone for our sales this year. We are confident that with this latest addition to the local Kia line-up, we will be able to achieve the Kia Picanto’s sales target of 5,000 units. This model is important as it would account to 50% of Naza Kia’s total sales target for 2018,“ said Dato’ Samson Anand George, Group CEO, Automotive Group, Naza Corporation Holdings Sdn Bhd.
The All-New Kia Picanto is uniquely modern, designed with safety and power in mind, with futuristic details and sportier image. Inspired by iconic designs, the latest addition to Kia’s line-up is a stronger build with subtle edginess and a rich body volume to fulfil customer’s demands.
The All-New Kia Picanto dons a dynamic design with a modern rich cubic effect on its side profile to create a strong yet sophisticated side-line treatment and bolder body lines for a more fun urban drive look. Its open-link style radiator grille visually enhances the Picanto’s wide proportions to achieve that modern sleek look.
“The Kia brand is a trendsetter in the global automotive sector. This was especially evident after renowned automobile designer Peter Schreyer was appointed Chief Design Officer. Each Kia model is masterfully crafted equipped with cutting-edge technologies and is engineered to have its own personality without compromising safety and functionality,” Dato’ Samson continued.
With the wheelbase extended to 2,400mm (increase of 15mm), the wheels are pushed further out to the corners of the car for a 25mm shorter front overhang, making the car look more planted on the road.
The exterior of the All-New Kia Picanto is also complemented by new projection bi-functional headlamps that project both high and low beams, with LED indicators and LED daytime running lights. The bumper is also retained from its predecessor with added detail to enhance overall aesthetics.
Inside the All-New Kia Picanto, Kia designers created a refined cabin with a modern lifestyle feel as compared to the second-generation model, with new materials and layout, adding a greater sense of quality. The predominantly horizontal design adds greater visual width to the interior, highlighting the increased cabin dimensions.
For added comfort, the seats of the All-New Kia Picanto are revamped to provide better seating for all occupants while maintaining all other interior space advantages. The seating height of the first row seats are reduced by 10mm and moved backwards by 5mm to improve headroom by 3mm and legroom by 15mm. The optimised door trim also increases shoulder room by 10mm for the 1st row seats. Additionally, the latest model’s crash pad is now slimmer with its steering wheel moved 10mm upwards to increase knee and foot room.
Those who value luggage space can now rejoice as the All-New Kia Picanto now boasts greater luggage capacity and better space efficiency with its foldable second row seats (60:40 split), giving up to 1,010 litres of maximised cargo space. It also comes with other value added convenience which the market has come to appreciate in a car of this segment which includes keyless entry, push start button, one touch triple turn signal, auto light control, RPAS (Rear Parking Assist System), electric folding side mirrors and safety power window on the driver’s side.
Dato Samson further commented, “The All-New Kia Picanto is tailored for the confident and stylish urbanite youths with a preference for sporty uniqueness, fuel efficiency and modern safety features. That is why the Kia tag line, “The Power to Surprise” represents Kia’s global commitment to surprise the world by providing exciting & inspiring experiences that go beyond expectations.”
The All-New Kia Picanto was carefully crafted with top-notch safety features. It is constructed with double the proportion of Advanced High Strength Steel (AHSS) compared to the outgoing model and a selection of active safety technologies.
With a stronger body than ever before, 44% of the All-New Kia Picanto’s bodyshell is cast in AHSS (up from 22%), reducing body-in-white weight by 23 kg while improving tensile strength by 12%. The new, stronger steel reinforces the floor pan, roof rails and engine bay, as well as the A- and B-pillars, strengthening the core structure around the car. The new bodyshell also uses more than eight times the quantity of structural adhesive found in the previous model (67 metres of joints throughout the structure are now reinforced with adhesive). Overall, static torsional stiffness has been improved by 32%.
For value added safety, the All-New Kia Picanto has six airbags strategically placed up front and at the sides of all passengers, ISOFIX baby seat mounts, rear seatbelt pretensioners and active safety systems like ABS and ESC.
Owners of the All-New Kia Picanto will now have access to some of the most advanced infotainment and modern technology enhancement available in the A-segment, while still enjoying the same high value for money expected of a Kia vehicle.
The large ‘floating’ 7.0-inch touchscreen at the centre of the dashboard houses a navigation system with 3D map which connects to your smartphone; readily integrated using Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with voice recognition features. This grants users access to their smartphone functions via the Head Unit’s user interface to get directions, make calls, receive messages and listen to music. Other multimedia features include an audio remote control, Bluetooth and AUX & USB ports.
Powered by a 1.2 Kappa MPI engine, The All-New Kia Picanto has a Gated type 4AT with improved NHV performance, better fuel efficiency and power delivery efficiency.
To further add value to Kia vehicles, Naza Kia Malaysia is also reintroducing the ‘NOVUS’ Kia accessory bundle for all new Kia vehicles starting with the All-New Picanto, for the first time ever, in the Malaysian market. There will be two NOVUS Accessories packages available, exclusive for the newest Kia Picanto; the All-New Picanto NOVUS X and the All-New Picanto NOVUS S, priced at RM5,618 (incl. GST) and RM3,498 (incl. GST) respectively. Accessories included in the package are the NOVUS emblem, solar tints, stylish and sporty NOVUS Bodykits, as well as leather seats and a DVR-digital video recorder among others.
The All-New Kia Picanto is now available in the Malaysian market in five different colours such as Pop Orange, Lime Light, Honey Bee, Clear White and Titanium Silver, and is now on display in authorised Kia showrooms nationwide.
*Only one variant of Kia Picanto is available for customisation.
For more information on Naza Kia Malaysia, please visit http://www.kia.com.
