Five years has passed since the current Kia Picanto has been on the market, and with a facelifted version already introduced early last year, it’s only a matter of time before there’s a new one. Kia has revealed the first teaser sketches of the third-generation city car, which will be unveiled in early 2017.
The new car certainly looks more mature, ditching the cheeky styling of the outgoing TA with a stronger, more assertive aesthetic clearly inspired by the new Rio. At the front, there are U-shaped LED daytime running lights that are now a solid strip rather than its predecessor’s individual diodes, while the upper grille has grown wider to meet the headlights. The downturned lower grille also gives a more aggressive look.
Down the sides, the previously straight window line is now upswept at the front and rear, while the reduced character lines provide a more minimalist look; the wheel arches have also been emphasised to give the illusion of a stronger stance. The rear design is more angular as well.
Kia says that the Picanto’s new design will lend better to customisation options than before, and the sketches certainly bear that out, with red accents on the upper grille, front bumper, side skirts and rear diffuser. The dual tailpipes have been carried over from the Sport Pack offered on the current car.
The interior, meanwhile, has been made noticeably more upscale than the one in the TA, which was already several steps above the A-segment norm. There’s now a dual-tier dashboard with the floating head unit from the Rio sitting above the twin centre air vents, while the corner air vents are now vertical and in an unusual lozenge shape, giving the cabin a quirky spin on things.
The current two-spoke steering wheel with a grin-like decorative trim piece has also been switched out for a three spoke item from the Optima. Below, the climate control switchgear has gained a concave shape, while an armrest with a storage console makes a welcome appearance between the seats. Here, too, there appear to be avenues for customisation, such as door trims with lime green accents.
As for the mechanicals, the Picanto should retain the current 1.0 litre three-cylinder and 1.2 litre four-cylinder naturally-aspirated Kappa II engines, as well as a 1.0 litre three-pot Kappa TCI turbo. The existing four-speed automatic, five-speed manual and CVT transmissions should also be carried over.
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Am I the only one who think that many interior design of car now based on mazda’s?
Exactly what I thought when I saw the center console area!
Better get glasses for your eyes
Have to get 1 if pricing around 40k
The hood line, the intersection between the fenders and the a pillar, the headlight interaction with the fender and hood; looks so much like the iriz… The iriz is developed with the help of Korean design company, looks like someone from the iriz programme has some input into the new picanto too.
you must be some pathetic guy who can only afford to drive Iriz and block the right fast lane while driving with 90km/h on highway
usual answer from those who are not “in the know” of the automotive world. Please Google “LG Vehicle Engineering – design engineering” and you will find out. these are the guys that transform the “design sketches” of designers in to hard technical surfaces and designs of real cars. The Iriz, Saga, Persona, Perodua Bezza, Naza Citra all have the LG technical works behind it. Not impossible those who has worked with the Iriz now working for KIA, look at the design, and surely the telltale sign is the presence of “moulded stiching design” on the dashboard of new KIA’s, a feature first debuted on Proton Iriz dashboard.
Damn I got to admit the next gen Picanto looks awesome.
Current gen Picanto not bad either, especially when you compare the design with P2 models
Proton shud rebadge this and fight the new Myvi
I would gladly trade in my 2014 Picanto for this. But I doubt Naza is going to bring it in because they didn’t make any money selling the previous Picanto – which is too bad, since it’s great value for money
wow…looks good…better than current version…
Quavery stylish. Nice.
looks like iriz
Best steering wheel in the A-segment category. It look so Premium with the 3 spoke item from the Optima/K5.
nice,cant wait to see it on the road…
well done KIA