The five-door car will be available in a four and a five-seat version. Sporting 157 L of storage space with the rear seats up, it leaves plenty of room for luggage. Folding the seats down gives 882 L of space. With exterior dimensions similar to Fiat's new Panda, the A-segment Kia offers more passenger room than typical 3-door competitors such as the Lupo and 107. The Kia also comes with an instant mobility system instead of a spare tyre, boosting interior space and increasing the versatility of the car.
The class-leading CO2 figures reflect the push toward leaner, greener vehicles. The 1.0 L engine produces a miserly 120 g/km. The 1.1 version generates 130 g/km in the five-speed manual version and 153 g/km in the four-speed automatic version. A diesel version of the vehicle will be released in 2005.
With a choice of 14" or 15" alloy wheels and many other attractive and useful features, the A-segment Kia furthers the company's goal of developing a "young, sporty, friendly" brand image.
In terms of safety, the mini Kia will reach the best standards that can be expected from a modern car in this segment nowadays, both for active and passive aspects.
"Our new A-class car offers a blend of contemporary styling and a full range of features. It is tailor-made for the active lifestyle favoured by the younger generation," says Kia Motors COO Yong-hwan Kim.
Korean component supplier Donghee Auto Company will build the new A-segment Kia on consignment at a new factory in Suhsan, a few kilometres from Kia's Hwasung plant. Initial production will be 150,000 units per year, of which 88,000 will be export models. Kia expects the sales potential for Europe on a 12-month basis to be around 60,000 units.