The Kia Picanto will go under the knife for a second facelift this year, with a series of tweaks inspired by the firm’s latest EVs expected.
The city car market is dwindling in 2023 but Kia will soldier on with a facelifted version of the Picanto later this year, with the local arm confirming that it has no plans to remove the small from sale in Australia.
These spy shots provide a first glimpse at the new Picanto, which – despite the heavy camouflage – will clearly undergo a significant design rethink. The car’s narrow, upright stance will remain, but the front end will be overhauled with new grilles and updated light clusters, the latter of which will evoke Kia’s seven-seat EV9 concept car.
Expect the front end to offer subtle hints of the firm’s ‘tiger nose’ styling language, too, with more modern tail lights setting off the rear combined with slim LED running light strips. We could see tweaks to the rear bumper to tie up the design, although this is impossible to make out through the camouflage. Updated wheel designs are certain to make an appearance, with this test mule wearing a new set of diamond cut items.
Given its affordable brief, the Picanto won’t adopt the large twin-screw display panel as seen on the latest Niro, but it could receive an improved central touchscreen with Kia’s latest infotainment software. Minor tweaks to the interior trims and upholstery options could also differentiate the new Picanto.
It’s very likely that the Picanto’s core mechanicals will go unchanged, too, with Kia’s 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol turbo and 1.2-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engines available across the range. These offer 74kW or 62kW respectively in the current car.
The Picanto shares its platform with the Hyundai Casper city car, which is currently sold in Korean markets. Reports suggest that the Casper could gain an all-electric version at some point, and if the rumours materialise, it may be feasible to install an EV powertrain in the new Picanto. It’s difficult to draw conclusions at this stage, however.
