Official images of the updated Kia Picanto city hatch – with design cues from the seven-seat EV9 electric SUV – have appeared online ahead of an imminent unveiling.
Photos of the 2024 Kia Picanto city hatch have leaked online, ahead of its global unveiling due later this month, and Australian arrival by the end of this year.
The images – posted to South Korean forum Autospy – confirm Kia’s smallest model in Australia will adopt styling inspired by its largest, the upcoming EV9 electric SUV.
It is the second facelift for the current-generation Picanto – launched in 2017, and given its first facelift in 2020 – intended to extend its life beyond the middle of the decade.
For the time being Kia has elected to invest in a heavy facelift – rather than a new model – amid declines in city-car sales, and strict emissions rules planned for its main market of Europe in 2026 which are tipped to make budget-priced, petrol-powered city cars all but extinct.
It is unclear if new technology associated with the update will see the Picanto lose its title of just two new cars still available for less than $20,000 drive-away.
The EV9 influence is visible in the vertical headlights (possibly now with LED technology), chrome trim across the upper grille, and large lower grille with body-coloured inserts akin to the EV9 GT-Line.
The four-spoke wheels are a nod to similar alloys on the top-of-the-range EV9, while at the rear there are new tail-lights now connected across the tailgate by an LED light bar.
Other changes include a restyled rear bumper, and what could be new side skirts. While the front and rear ends are new, the vehicle’s structure, doors and bonnet appear to carry over.
Inside, the changes are minor, with a new instrument cluster from other Hyundai and Kia models, combining a 4.2-inch driver display with digitised speed and tachometer readouts.
The 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen – introduced with the 2020 update – appears to have new graphics. The steering wheel and steering wheel seem unchanged from the current model.
Newer Hyundai and Kia cars are available with 10.25 to 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreens, and widescreen digital instrument clusters with identical screen sizes – however these appear to have been deemed too costly for the budget-priced Picanto.
In overseas markets the Picanto is available with heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel and a wireless smartphone charging pad, but none of these extras are offered in Australia.
The only advanced safety features fitted to the Kia Picanto in Australia are autonomous emergency braking and forward collision warning.
However overseas it is offered with a full suite of features from larger Kia cars, including lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.
The current model carries a four-star ANCAP safety rating awarded in 2017, which is due to expire at the end of this year – unless the Picanto is submitted for retesting under newer and stricter criteria, which may not see it achieve the same result as it did six years ago.
The 2024 Kia Picanto is due to be unveiled this month, ahead of first Australian arrivals by the end of this year.
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