LEAKED: The new Kia Picanto before you’re meant to see it
Leaked pictures reveal the popular Kia Picanto supermini has stepped up its style game. With the world reveal imminent, images of the new Kia Picanto supermini have leaked out of Korea. They show the popular hatchback has been given plenty of styling cues from the Kia’s halo EV9 … and that’s a good thing. NEW […]
Leaked pictures reveal the popular Kia Picanto supermini has stepped up its style game.
With the world reveal imminent, images of the new Kia Picanto supermini have leaked out of Korea.
They show the popular hatchback has been given plenty of styling cues from the Kia’s halo EV9 … and that’s a good thing.
NEW KIA PICANTO
The new Kia Picanto could arrive on South African shores before the end of the year, but our colleagues from Drive in Australia have posted pictures from a South Korean forum, Autospy, ahead of its global unveiling.
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By our count this would be the second facelift for the current Kia Picanto, which was first launched back in 2017 and facelifted in 2020. This is in line with the Kia’s protocol to extend the lifecycle of its most popular commodity cars by adding major facelifts.
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That’s probably a safe decision when you consider strict emissions rules for Europe coming in 2026. There’s a fine balancing act car manufacturers need to find between affordable superminis and EVs.
UPPING ITS STYLE GAME
Nevertheless, EV9 influences are plain to see with the upright LED headlights (probably only on GT Line spec), fresh accents on the upper grille, enlarged lower air dam and body-coloured inserts in the front.
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Those good-looking four-spoke wheels also put us in mind of the EV9, too, while at the rear there is now the ultra-popular LED light bar connecting the taillights. This is teamed with a restyled rear bumper.
ON THE INSIDE?
Supermini interiors have been revolutionised thanks to tech like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and the Kia Picanto was one of the best. There looks to be an upgraded 4.2-inch driver display and 8.0-inch central infotainment touchscreen, first introduced in 2020. Size constraints mean the 10.25 to 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen of bigger Kias simply won’t fit in the Picanto Supermini.
We’ll bring you further updates on the new Kia Picanto as they develop.