Kia Venga city car officially launched at Frankfurt

Venga means "come" in Spanish, and Kia hopes that the attractive compact hatchback will entice buyers to check out the car. Benny Oeyen, Director Marketing and Product Planning, Kia Motors Europe, said, "Venga will certainly deliver all the practicality and versatility that a European family could require. It will also provide them with the most stylish transport this segment has ever seen."

The Venga is based on the Kia No3 concept car that was showcased at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year, with a few minor changes, including a more conventional roof and windscreen. At about 4000mm long, 1600mm high and having a wheelbase of around 2600mm, the Venga isn't actually all that compact, and this results in generous cabin room for the passengers.

Among the equipment to be offered on the Venga include USB and iPod connection, a circular central 'master' control for the radio/ CD player, a 3.5-inch LCD display panel, wheel-mounted audio equipment remote controls, cruise control and a speed limiter among others.

Four engines are available at launch, with two petrols and two diesels. The base 1.4 CRDi diesel produces 90bhp and 220Nm of torque, while having a fuel consumption figure of 4.7 litres per 100km. The 1.6 CRDi meanwhile has 128bhp and 260Nm of torque, and has a fuel consumption figure of 4.9 litres per 100km.

As for the petrols, the 1.4 litre has 90bhp and 137Nm of torque, while the 1.6 litre petrol gets 125bhp and 156Nm of torque. Transmission choices are a 5-speed manual, a 6-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic transmission, depending on the model.