KIA Motors Australia has courted the Picanto for a while now, but it has finally made a business case work and introduced the micro hatchback locally.

Extravagance in engineering and specification does not apply in the sub-$15,000 class, which means a 3.5-metre-long five-door hatchback can be more difficult to fine tune than some large exotic with meaty profit margins. In short, small cars can cause manufacturers big headaches.

Kia was, however, determined to make it work because it thought the Picanto was a good thing. For a brand with its roots in motoring’s budget end, it is surprising that this is its first micro car offering here. Although the most affordable new-car segment makes up 1.0 per cent of market volume, the local division of the South Korean car-maker believes it must to do those one per centers well.

So, did the corporates make the right decision with this single-specification, automatic-only $14,990 driveaway offering?

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