> But very few people buy cars of this size in Australia. Kia is about the only manufacturer left offering them, and it's very much a niche car despite being the cheapest on the market.

This doesn't appear to be true in my experience. Accent, Corolla hatchback, Polo, Golf, Yaris - these are all cars you'll see every day in any Australian city. And whilst tradies buy utes (we don't call them "pickups"), I doubt at least in the consumer vehicle market they dominate.

What is your source of information?