Kia is launching a three-door variant of the Picanto supermini for the first in the car’s history.

With the second generation Picanto recently launched Kia has taken the decision to launch a new three-door variant which they say has a “unique, sporty character”.

The decision comes as the demand for smaller, cheaper and more economical cars across the globe continues to grow, with an estimated 3.3 million ‘A-Segment’ car sales per year by 2015. Around 30% of these buyers are looking for more stylish three-doors so Kia want to establish themselves in that market place.

On the outside, the car gets new doors and rear panels with a more accentuated sloping beltline as well as more pronounced sills to highlight the car’s more dynamic profile. Other styling queues to differentiate the three-door are a bigger front grille with red or silver accents, a bigger and more aggressive front bumper design, large foglamps, unique alloy wheels and chrome twin-exhausts.

Despite these changes the three-door Picanto retains the exterior dimensions of the five-door, ensuring it the same levels of interior space and safety.

The entry-level remains the Picanto 1 (or Picanto 1 Air if the optional air conditioning is chosen) but the 2 and 3 are replaced by the Halo and the Equinox respectively. The Halo features a black and grey interior while the Equinox gets a ‘Chilli’ red interior; both cars feature USB and iPod connectivity with steering-wheel mounted controls as standard.

The 1 gets the 68bhp 1.0L petrol engine which produces 99g/km CO2 and is capable of 67.3mpg. The Halo and Equinox get the 89bhp 1.25L petrol engine. The Halo is available with a four-speed automatic transmission while the other cars get the standard manual gearbox.

The three-door Picanto will go on sale at the beginning of September with prices in the UK starting below the five-door at £7795 and rising to £12295.

Source: Kia