Kia Picanto facelift seen undisguised in GT Line form

Not long now before the facelifted Kia Picanto is revealed, it seems, because the city car has just been spotted at a commercial shoot completely undisguised in Frankfurt. As this photo from a Korean Car Blog reader shows, the little tyke of a car will be getting a pretty substantial makeover, at least from the front.

The car is seen here in its sportiest GT Line form, and the entire front bumper is new. The broad “tiger nose” remains, but the red highlights are now two prominent bars rather than a series of dashes. The big maw is now also in a six-pointed shape with the fog lights sitting in chrome housings, and it all leads outwards into the corner air inlets that are now bookended by gloss black fins.

Even the headlights are different on this higher-spec model, with a silver insert now clearly continuing the contour of the grille. The new four-point LED daytime running lights surrounding the projectors are particularly striking as they bring to mind the Porsche Taycan; the LED indicators can still be found underneath. It’s unclear if the Picanto still uses halogens across the range, or if range-topping models will finally get LEDs.

The wheels have also been redesigned and now feature an intricate multi-spoke look, with eight of those spokes machined for a two-tone finish. Expect the car to also get a new rear bumper design to match the front, and possibly new tail light clusters as well. Minor trim and upholstery changes should also be found on the inside, along with a revised infotainment system – just like we see in the new Hyundai i10.

And just like the new i10, don’t expect any changes to the engine lineup, which should continue to consist of a 67 PS/96 Nm 1.0 litre three-cylinder and 84 PS/122 Nm 1.25 litre four-pot naturally-aspirated petrol mills, as well as a 100 PS/172 Nm turbocharged and direct-injected version of the 1.0 litre. The five-speed manual and four-speed automatic gearbox are also expected to soldier on.

GALLERY: 2021 Kia Picanto spyshots

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