'New' Naza (KIA) Picanto: only for the fairer sex?

With an unorthodox tagline like "Guys love cars, girls love Picanto" I found myself warming up to the new Picanto facelift model a little warm and fuzzy inside, perhaps even a tad blushy....or have I even gotten myself in touch with my feminine side? I know, I shudder at that thought too.





But truth be told, this Naza reabged Kia is pretty (no pun intended) decent. Though having to make do with just a tiny 1.1 litre 4-pot with old-tech port fuel injection, common distributor coil-to-spark-plug-cables spark ignition system and regular throttle cable for fuel metering, this little hatch feels quite peppy on the move from the word go (till about 100km/h). Decent enough for town driving. The chassis also felt surprisingly solid, while the liquid-filled dampers gives very pliant ride around the city and suburbs, where it intended range of commuting are mostly destined for. Of course, like its i1o cousin, uphill task can be a bit of a chore, after slowing down to pick up pace again.





I can't give you the fuel consumption figure since I had hardly burned off past the fuel tank's half way mark. Sorry about that. But I reckon it would be as economical as the Hyundai i10 since both are 'blood' cousins in more ways than one. Supermini these days also feels more well screwed/bolted together. Such a feeling of solidity on the road can be appreciated by way of nicer planted agility (granted, the suspension setting is still on the soft side) and somewhat tighter body control. Even the steering feels okay with a nice weighting to it. Inside, you don't even feel cramped like you do in an old Perodua Kancil anymore. Shoulder room and elbow room are acceptable here in the Picanto and I am no horse-riding jockey.


The Koreans have indeed come a long way. This 'new' Picanto is a potentially viable alternative to the rather pricey (relatively speaking, of course) 'local' Perodua Viva. For a fact, that was mainly why the Hyundai i10 walked away with NST-Maybank Car of the Year 2009 Award in the entry-level car category.


Interestingly, my wife initially liked this car for its affordability, being a brand new car with manufacturer's warranty, less worry about costly unscheduled maintenance et al. For those with no hang-ups about Korean automotive brand or badge snobbery issues, imagine paying off for this car in four, maybe five years instead of seven. And for whatever the residual's worth after that hire-purchase period, the average damage in depreciation is say, a more manageable RM5k per year? Kinda makes great food-for-thought, financially speaking, yes?



Back to my better half again, she subsequently complained of lack of power after the few days of joint sampling of this tester, and also of bumpier ride than her Mitsu Colt Ralliart. Hmmm....so "Girls love Picanto"? Probably not all girls, especially women...



Related posts:
Perodua Viva Elite
Driven: Hyundai i10

Naza Group of Companies Export Initiative for 2008-09

Naza Group of Companies today announced that their effort to export the Naza range of vehicles through subsidiary, Naza Corporation had seen positive response. Since early 2008, the Naza Group has been actively exporting the company’s range of supermini cars like the Naza Forza and the Peugeot 206 to countries like Singapore, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.



At a press conference today held at the PKT Container Freight Station (CFS) which is located in Klang, the Naza Group through Naza Corporation announced that they had received strong orders for the Naza Forza for the Thai market. To date, back orders for the Naza Forza - which was launched on 26 March 2008 during the Thai Motor Show - had already reached 1,100 units. The factory in Gurun, Kedah is increasing production to meet the demand for the Thai market. Naza Corporation is also in talks to export the Naza Forza to countries like Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Mauritius. The Kia Picanto and Peugeot 206 both have orders amounting to 600 units and 500 units respectively for the Thai market. All those units are expected to reach the Thai market before the end of 2008. The strong demand for Naza Corporation’s range of supermini cars can be attributed to the global move towards smaller and more economical and fuel efficient models. For the Indonesian market, Naza Corporation has received firm orders for 600 units of the Kia Pregio van. Malaysia is the only country in the world outside Korea that manufactures the Kia Pregio van in RHD.

The importers are bullish about the new Malaysian made imports due to the preferential tariff available with the Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT) scheme for vehicle exports between ASEAN countries. With the tariff in place, importers enjoy an import duty for Malaysian made vehicles of only 10%. Vehicles exported from Malaysia however must comply with the 40% local content ruling to quality.

SM Nasarudin Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Utama SM Nasimuddin (seated at centre, above), Executive Chairman and CEO of Naza Corporation Sdn Bhd said that the company is firmly behind the export drive and is aggressively sourcing for new markets to enter into. This is to ensure that there is a continuous source for business which will guarantee that the production facility in Gurun, Kedah stays at its optimum capacity. At the moment, the export effort is mainly contained within the Asian region, especially to Thailand and Indonesia which are the more prominent vehicle consuming nations within ASEAN. However, there are definite plans to expand the Group’s export activities even further and the African continent has been targeted as one of the potential new markets. The export drive brings about obvious benefits to both the factory in Gurun and also the vendor base through optimization of capacity.

To further support the export initiative, Naza Corporation has also been endorsed by their Korean and French principals, KIA Motors and Automobiles Peugeot to manufacture and export relevant new models for the region. With the new models and also a strong order bank, Naza Corporation targets an export potential of 8,000 units for 2009.

To ensure that the export initiative is sustained, Naza Corporation has recently set up a dedicated export team to support all export markets. The export team not only handles sales but also all after-sales issues pertaining to the exported models. For faster response time and feedback to any form of enquiry that may be received from their foreign partners, Naza Corporation has also set up a special Technical Hotline which will offer assistance.

2008 Kia Picanto

By Dr Long

The cute little Kia Picanto has undergone a mid-cycle facelift to refresh its looks and renew buyers’ interest. Nicking aesthetic cues from the Kia Cee’d, minor updates are made on the interior. Meanwhile, the front now sports a visibly ‘softer’ visage, mostly contributed by a set of rounder headlamps and slimmer-lower-wider grille. Apart from a redesigned rear bumper, the rear light’s elements has been rearranged. The 2008 Picanto is now 40 mm longer - a total length of 3,535 mm – with most of the extra length contributed by the extended frontal fascia and slightly bulkier rear bumper. Engine range and wheelbase however, remain the same.

With NAZA assembling and rebadging the pre-facelift Picanto as the Suria, and likely committed to a certain contracted number of CKD packs from South Korea, it is unlikely that Malaysians will see the facelifted Picanto as the ‘new’ Naza Suria anytime soon.