Kia Dealer in Canada Announces Possible Picanto Sales in North America?

UPDATE: A Kia Canada representative kindly let us know today that the Picanto will NOT be available in the North American (and Australian) market. We repeat: the all-new 2012 Kia Picanto will NOT be coming over to the North American market. Sad truth indeed.

Unintended leak or just a product of your run-of-the-mill, uninformed car salesperson? It's probably the latter. But we're clinging to the post with the hopes that Kia bring the stylish Picanto minicar over to North American shores. According to a Canadian Kia dealer in Nanaimo, British Columbia, our wishes may come true? This is the bit that caught us off guard in their "press release":

"The all-new 2012 Kia Picanto will be available with four super-efficient 1.0L three-cylinder and 1.2L four-cylinder Kappa engines. It will soon be available at Nanaimo Kia dealer, Harris Kia."

"The 2012 Kia Picanto will soon be available at Harris Kia, the top Kia dealer in Nanaimo BC."

Are we coming off as too desperate to you guys? We think it's the perfect time period to bring the Picanto over. How about you? Leave us a comment after the jump.

[Source: Read the press release here]

2012 Kia Morning/Picanto: First Official Images [UPDATE]

Kia pulled a surprise move today and released the first official images of the redesigned Picanto (Morning in the Korean market) hatchback today. The all-new minicar is set to go on sale in its home market of South Korea later this month, ahead of its European debut at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show in March.

Heading into its second-generation, the new Kia Picanto is a stylistically more aggressive evolution of its more mundane predecessor. The front end is definitely a tribute to the Venga MPV, but the most noteworthy element of the design is its protruding front bumper. The large air intakes that fill the bumper evoke thoughts of the Mazda2's controversial smiley face, and we don't know if that's necessarily a good association. The corporate grille could be a tad larger in our opinion, as it seems to have been dwarfed by what's going on below. The side and the rear fascia are easier on the eyes, and we especially like the unique treatment of the taillights (remember the Carens/Rondo?) as well as the protruding rear bumper design.

Spec-wise, Kia has not revealed much information for the new Picanto. The automaker did mention features like dual projection headlamps with LED positioning lights, a rarity for the subcompact segment the car plays in. As well, it will be powered by an all-new 1.0-liter Kappa engine that is expected to achieve impressive fuel economy.

Stay tuned for more information and images as they become available.

[Source: Kia]



PRESS RELEASE:

* New Picanto to be offered in two body styles with four all-new powertrains
* Production vehicle to be revealed at 2011 Geneva Motor Show

Kia Motors Corporation has released the first official photos of the next generation Picanto city car boasting a bolder, more mature and more self confident look.

Completely redesigned and re-engineered, the new car has grown in overall length and wheelbase and is set to redefine its position as one of the most competitive vehicles in its segment.

Kia's Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer, said, "In profile, new Picanto features significant sculpting and a very prominent rising character line. The result is a layering of light and shadow and this breaks up the height, giving the car a more sure-footed stance."

While the current Picanto is available only as a five-door hatchback, the next generation version will be offered as a five-door globally but a sportier three-door body style will also be made available in the UK and European markets.

The new Picanto will feature four all-new powertrains in 1.0- and 1.2-litre displacements, all boasting class leading CO2 emissions levels. In addition to the standard petrol engines, LPG, bi-fuel and flex-fuel variations will be available depending on local market requirements.

The next generation Picanto will receive its official unveiling at the Geneva International Motor Show on Tuesday March 1 2011.

The exact timing of the car's arrival in the UK market is yet to be decided.

EXCLUSIVE: 2012 Kia Morning/Picanto Spied for the First Time

We have obtained the first spy shots of the next-generation 2012 Kia Morning/Picanto subcompact hatchback today. Set to be unveiled and going on sale in 2011, the all-new Picanto is expected to be a real looker if the series of Kia's latest designs is any indication.

From our spy shots, it is very clear that the new 2012 Kia Picanto is designed after the larger Kia Venga multi-purpose vehicle. The cab-forward design and the stretched headlamps characteristic of the Venga are visible on this Picanto prototype. Note the projector headlamps that are unheard of in the subcompact segment, so kudos to Kia for that. The side profile is nothing revolutionary for the segment, but nonetheless clean. The rear, meanwhile, is totally up to our imagination as it is completely clad in camo at the moment.

Other than the spy shots we have for you today, little information is available on how the next Picanto will shape up. Rumors of a possible electric-powered variant surfaced some months ago, but were promptly denied by the folks at Kia. For now, we will keep you on the tab with the latest info on the 2012 Kia Picanto when it becomes available to us.

READ MORE for 4 additional spy shots of the 2012 Kia Picanto!

Kia Picanto Tops British Reliability Survey

The Kia Picanto has topped Britain’s most reliable new car survey in consumer magazine Which?. Which? Car, the British equivalent to America's Consumer Reports, has just published its annual reliability survey which is based on Which? members’ feedback. The Picanto, Kia’s oldest car introduced in 2004, was scored highly in reliability amongst cars up to three years old and was one of the top five in the four to eight years old category.

Achieving a reliability score of 98.1%, the Kia Picanto beat off established rivals from Japanese and European brands to take the accolade.

Peter Vicary-Smith, chief executive, Which?, said: “You don’t expect a new car to go wrong – but our rigorous research shows there’s a big difference between the best and worst. Some small cars, particularly Korean and Japanese superminis, run like clockwork. Whereas some bigger cars, which you might expect to be more robust, aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.”

Michael Cole, managing director of Kia Motors UK, said the feedback shows how dependable the car is. “The Picanto has been our best-seller since it was introduced and for it to receive this praise at this stage of its life is confirmation of our efforts to deliver high quality products to our customers at a fair price – something we shall continue to do in the future,” he said.

[Source: Which?]