Upgraded 2007 Kia Picanto set for Barcelona Motor Show debut

• Refreshed, restyled and longer – new 2007 Kia Picanto to debut on 7 June
• Fresh colours, plus upgraded interior, audio equipment and power steering

Kia Motors Corporation has confirmed that the newly upgraded 2007 Kia Picanto will make its world premiere at the 34th Salon Internacional del Automovil in Barcelona, Spain on 7 June. Kia’s design teams in Korea and Europe have revisited the company’s smallest car, preserved its ‘young, sporty and friendly’ spirit, and evolved the new 2007 Picanto – a car with more glamorous looks, an upgraded interior and higher quality audio equipment.

Attractively refreshed and restyled to be ‘more rounded and intimate’, the 2007 Picanto is
40 mm longer, with an overall length of 3535 mm, featuring an extended, rounded nose and deeper, larger rear bumper. All-new panels are used for the bonnet, front wings, front bumper and rear bumper. The front and rear light clusters are new and follow the ‘rounded’ theme.

A new wider radiator grille, with black mesh background and twin horizontal chromed bars supporting the central Kia badge, is part of the evolving design process that is defining a new ‘Face of Kia’. The standard roof spoiler now extends across the full width of the car, while the wheelbase is unchanged at 2370 mm. Customers will be offered a choice of five new
exciting, contemporary colours in a range of nine exterior colours.

“Picanto is a great success for Kia, recording more than 250,000 sales for us in Europe in a segment where we previously had no presence,” commented Jean-Charles Lievens, Senior Vice President Kia Motors Europe. “Now we have refreshing our small car, upgrading its equipment and introducing a range of customer benefits, to maintain its appeal and expand sales to 90,000 units annually over the next few years.”

Editors’ Notes

Barcelona Motor Show 2007
Kia Motors Corporation will unveil the new 2007 Picanto at the Barcelona Motor Show on Press Day, June 7, at 16.40 hrs in Hall 5.

Kia Motors Europe
Kia Motors Europe is the European sales, marketing, and service arm of Kia Motors Corporation. With its headquarters in Eschborn, Germany, it covers 29 markets in Europe.

About Kia Motors Corporation
Kia Motors Corporation (www.kiamotors.com) was founded in 1944 and is Korea’s oldest manufacturer of motor vehicles. As part of the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group, Kia aims to become one of the world’s premier automotive brands.

Kia’s 13 manufacturing and assembly operations in nine countries produce more than 1.3 million vehicles a year that are sold and serviced through a network of distributors and dealers covering 165 countries. Kia today has 33,000 employees and annual revenues of US$19 billion.

Kia is the major sponsor of the Australian Tennis Open and an official worldwide sponsor of the
Davis Cup. From 2007 to 2014, Kia will be an official automotive partner of FIFA – governing body of soccer’s FIFA World Cup. Kia boosted its football links this year with three new sponsorships of major teams that will see the Kia logo appearing in the UEFA Champions League – FC Girondins de Bordeaux, FC Brussels and Atletico de Madrid.

Kia Motors Corporation’s brand slogan – ‘The Power to Surprise’ – represents the company’s global commitment to surpassing customer expectations through continuous automotive innovation.

Press Contact

Mr Panu Vainamo
Tel 0049 6196 5092 132 Email pvainamo@kia-europe.com

Kia Motors Europe GmbH
Hauptstrasse 185, 65760 Eschborn, Germany.
Tel 0049 6196 5092 132 Fax 0049 6196 5092 100