Think the Kia EV6 is too expensive? Don't worry - the budget-friendly Picanto, Rio and Cerato aren't going anywhere

Kia's push into the premium EV space is now officially underway with the launch of the EV6, but the shift to electric powertrains won't come at the cost of the Korean brand's cut-price petrol-powered models.

That's the word from Kia Australia's Chief Operating Officer, Damien Meredith, who says the brand made the "smart choice" to double-down on models like the Picanto, Rio and Cerato – even when rivals were abandoning the city-car segments – and they aren't about to switch that sales tap off.

"Picanto, Rio and Cerato are still 30 per cent of our sales," Mr Meredith says. "They’re not going away.

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"What happened is that we were lucky enough, or smart enough, to keep our passenger cars in play, because we knew there was going to be a market there."

In 2021, Kia sold 6591 Picantos, 5644 Rios and a massive 18,114 Ceratos.

Pricing for the Picanto begins at just $15,999, the Rio starts at $19,690, and the Cerato kicks off at $25,990. That's compared that to the new EV6 range, which starts at $67,990, or even the EV Niro, which begins at $62,590.

But while brands like Ford, Nissan and Mitsubishi have left the cut-price segments once filled with Fiestas and Mirages – and even the passenger car segment entirely – Kia has no plans to turn its back on the 30,000-plus sales that helped lift it to position number five on the best-seller chart last year.

That said, don't expect your budget-friendly favourites to be electrified any time soon – at least, not at current prices. Kia recently suggested an all-electric Picanto, if launched today, could set you back closer to $40,000.

"I don' think you'll see a $20,000 Picanto-sized EV," Mr Meredith said. "But you may see a $35,000 to $40,000 Picanto-sized EV."