4 days ago
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Demand for Australia's cheapest caller car – and 1 of 2 caller vehicles inactive disposable for little than $20,000 drive-away – is astatine grounds levels.
Australian buyers are proving determination is inactive beardown request for caller cars priced from little than $20,000 with grounds orders and deliveries for the Kia Picanto, 1 of conscionable 2 caller models remaining nether the threshold.
VFACTS manufacture income information shows 978 Kia Picanto metropolis hatchbacks were reported arsenic sold past month, representing a caller record, and up 54 per cent connected the aforesaid period past year.
Kia Australia says it is some a boost successful accumulation fulfilling existing backorders – and caller orders being written astatine a "record level".
South Korea's Kia Picanto is 1 of 2 caller cars priced little than $20,000 – nary substance whether on-road costs specified arsenic registration and stamp work are included – alongside the MG 3 from China, which reported 1153 income (deliveries) past month.
Rising manufacturing and shipping costs implicit the COVID-19 pandemic – arsenic good arsenic much stringent information requirements, and the market's anticipation for crash-avoidance exertion arsenic modular – person made sub-$20,000 caller cars astir extinct.
In 2019 buyers with $20,000 to walk could take from much than 60 vehicles crossed 19 models and 14 manufacturers – including Fiat, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Suzuki and Toyota.
Today lone MG and Kia remain, with 5 exemplary grades priced little than $20,000 earlier on-road costs, and conscionable 3 exemplary grades priced little than $20,000 drive-away (MG 3 Core auto, Kia Picanto S manual and auto).
Kia Australia says 41 per cent of Picanto income truthful acold this twelvemonth person been the S people – priced from $16,290 positive on-road costs ($2100 much than it was 4 years ago) oregon $18,890 drive-away with a five-speed manual, oregon $17,890 positive on-roads/$19,890 drive-away with a four-speed auto.
However the apical seller is the better-equipped GT-Line (56 per cent of the mix), priced from $17,740 positive on-roads/$20,390 drive-away with a manual, oregon $19,340 positive on-roads/$21,390 drive-away with an auto.
But implicit the adjacent 18 months – arsenic caller oregon updated models get – the South Korean and Chinese car makers whitethorn crook disconnected the lights successful the sub-$20,000 class for good.
An updated Kia Picanto (below) is owed by the extremity of this year, with much crash-avoidance exertion arsenic modular that whitethorn propulsion it supra the $20,000 threshold.
Meanwhile a caller MG 3 is owed by the extremity of adjacent year, and it volition adhd autonomous exigency braking exertion that is missing from the existent exemplary – and is required by instrumentality for each caller models introduced from March this year.
The cheapest mentation of the existent MG 3 is priced from $19,990 drive-away, aft receiving its 5th terms emergence successful 2 years in July 2023, amounting to a $4000 hike successful 4 years with nary caller features.
It is the base-model MG 3 – the Core (without sat-nav) – that is the astir popular, accounting for 55 per cent of deliveries successful the archetypal 3 months of past year, and helping the Chinese metropolis hatch stay the apical seller successful the "light car nether $30,000" class for the past 3 years successful a row.
Kia Australia says improved proviso means buyers who spot a caller Picanto bid contiguous "can expect accumulation the pursuing period positive shipping," a institution spokesperson told Drive.
Alex Misoyannis has been penning astir cars since 2017, erstwhile helium started his ain website, Redline. He contributed for Drive successful 2018, earlier joining CarAdvice successful 2019, becoming a regular contributing writer wrong the quality squad successful 2020. Cars person played a cardinal relation passim Alex’s life, from flicking done car magazines astatine a young age, to increasing up astir show vehicles successful a car-loving family.
