THE all-new Kia Picanto offers a winning combination of youthful styling, peppy performance, class-leading interior dimensions, low cost of ownership and ultra-low emissions, in an unrivalled value package. This is a car with the dimensions to excel in the cut and thrust of the high street but with the interior feel, refinement and space of a supermini.

The fresh styling of the Picanto expresses Kia's desire to become a 'young, sporty and friendly' brand. Picanto fits into the UK's vibrant small urban car category as well as meeting the needs of the lower end of the supermini market. The car will especially appeal to existing supermini customers not wishing to "up-size" to the latest generation of supermini offerings.

Paul Williams, Managing Director, Kia Motors UK said: "Kia has shown with the Sorento and Sedona that it can bring products to market which challenge the very best available in terms of value, specification, quality and styling. The Picanto will meet the needs of a new and younger customer base for Kia and take the brand to new heights in the UK. The Picanto is a modern European-focussed design, that offers an involving driving experience coupled with high specifications and prices not previously seen for this style of car.

The Picanto design excels by combining a stylish but compact exterior with a spacious interior more reminiscent of a supermini. The interior achieves 'best-in-class' space in most major cabin dimensions. The generous specification, high quality materials, fit and finish reinforce the impression this car will comfortably meet the aspirations of those down-sizing from larger cars as well as those trading up from boxy, slim but tall, city cars and/or budget superminis with "low rent" interiors.

The set-up of the Picanto has concentrated on making it able to compete effectively in urban driving with a willing engine, smooth gear change and excellent all-round visibility. Add this to precise steering and pin-point manoeuvrability and the Picanto driver can be confident about taking advantage of that small gap in the traffic or that parking space that others driver tend to overlook.

Whilst on the open-road the refinement of the car at motorway speeds will surprise those getting out of larger capacity cars and the suspension, assisted by the fitting of standard 14-inch wheels, is more composed than many cars offering a much longer wheelbase. All-in-all it is a more comprehensive package than was previously expected in this size of car, making those forays to the High Street something to look forward to and that journey to friends 200 miles away something that doesn't need a second thought. The Picanto is available as both a four-seater and a five-seater, with a choice of two petrol engines and manual or automatic transmission (1.1-litre only). A 1.1-litre diesel engine will be introduced in 2005.

The Picanto's fuel economy and excellent CO2 figures, just 118 g/km on the 1.0-litre five seater and 119g/km on the 1.1-litre 4-seater , reflect Kia's push towards leaner, greener vehicles. The 1.0-litre has an urban cycle fuel consumption of 47.9mpg while the 1.1-litre 4-seater has a combined fuel consumption of 57.6mpg. The Picanto has had more extensive market research than any previous Kia model to be launched on the UK market.

Ian Mathews, Head of Product for Kia Motors (UK) Limited said: "Customers in the A segment are typically budget conscious urban dwellers with a high percentage of females. They need the convenience of a small car and demand trouble-free motoring with low costs of ownership. However, these customers are also influenced by styling and fashion and are ambitious and fun loving. That is why getting the external shape of Picanto just right was so critical along with the personality of the car expressed through the way it drives and the quality and feel of the interior." Kia has chosen to offer only a 5-door car in a sector until recently dominated by 3-door cars.

"Our belief is that a stylish 5-door car, clearly differentiated from functional boxy designs, will be attractive to previous 3-door customers in this sector and the lower end of the supermini sector", Ian Mathews explained. "By offering both 4-seat and 5-seat versions our expectation is that we will be able to target predominantly singles and couples in their late twenties, the Sex and the City or Friends generation you might say, but also young families and older couples." Line-up and specifications

Exceptionally competitive pricing has been achieved while maintaining strong specifications including Dual Airbags ABS with EBD and all round disc brakes on all models. The initial three model line-up is: 1.0GS 5-seater 1.1LX 5-seater, 1.1SE 4-seater. All Picanto models have body colour bumpers, mirrors and door handles, central door locking, front electric windows and tinted glass, while all except the 1.0GS have a colour-coded grille and side mouldings. The top-of-the-range 1.1SE gains alloy wheels, as well as sill extensions, rear spoiler and front fog lamps.

The Picanto's exceptionally roomy interior makes it 'best-in-class' according to most measures. Front headroom is an impressive 1,003 mm (966 mm rear), front legroom is 1,041 mm (872 mm rear), and shoulder room is 1,300 mm (1,290 mm rear). The generous passenger space is enhanced by up to 19 storage areas around the cabin. The boot has a capacity of 157 litres with the rear seat raised, expanding to a maximum of 882 litres with the rear seat folded flat. The rear seat is split 60/40, on all models, to offer up to seven different configurations. All models also get a luggage area cover to keep away prying eyes.

In terms of comfort and convenience the Picanto has air conditioning as standard (except 1.0GS), a JVC CD Audio with MP3 player, remote fuel flap and tailgate releases, while all models except the 1.0GS have remote door locking, perimeter alarm system, four electric windows (front only on 1.0GS) and door mirrors, leather steering wheel and gear knob, a storage tray under the passenger seat and a sunglass holder (above the drivers door).

The 1.1SE features seats and door trim with two-tone variations matching the range of exterior colours- charcoal-grey, charcoal-orange and charcoal-blue, to give customers a choice of vibrant interior dcor. This model also features alloy wheels, front fog lamps, metal grain centre fascia, rear spoiler and sill extensions.