Kia has unveiled what is expected to be the restyling that the Kia Picanto 2021 will undergo, although we are really facing the version of its domestic market, the Kia Morning. We say predictably because you never know if the brand will make changes for our market, but what is certain is that renewal will come to us next year.
It is something that was expected, since the small utility has been on the market for almost four years, and its ‘cousin’, the Hyundai i10, has received a new generation in 2019. In the case of the Kia, it is an aesthetic and technological update, not knowing whether they will add improvements in the mechanical section.
At the moment it is known that in Korea it has a starting price equivalent to 9,000 euros.
Cooler design
Aesthetically, it follows the line of the brand’s latest launches, although its baselines have hardly changed. An example of this is the greater use of chrome elements, such as in the grille or the area of the fog lights, and the new pissed off look signed by a light bulb flanked by four LED lines. A very Porsche detail.
The rear is also renewed with LED lights with a three-dimensional effect and a bumper in which plays with the chrome to simulate the exhaust outlets. The tire offers is renewed, with options up to 16 inches, as well as the color palette, which highlights the new Honeybee yellow.
Although no emblem is seen, we imagine the published images correspond to a GT-Line version, with a more sporty and striking appearance.
More technology on board
For its part, the interior of the Kia Picanto 2021 hardly changes aesthetically and remains one of the most attractive in its segment. If it improves and a lot in technology, it is that the step forward it gives places it even ahead of some utilities in segment B , and the Picanto is segment A, which is to be applauded.
The most striking change is the new multimedia system with an 8-inch screen, placed on top of the dashboard. In addition to browsing and connecting with Android and iOS, you can access online services, but we don’t know if these are limited to brand services or the global network.
Where technological updating stands out is, without a doubt, the increase in driving assistance. Now the little one in the house can equip Blind Spot Assist, Rear Cross Traffic Control, Lane Keeping, Preventive Emergency Collision Braking with Pedestrian Detector and Fatigue Alert.
Motorizations
For some time now, it was rumored that micro hybridization would be incorporated into at least one of the available mechanics for this update. It would be a strategy to compete against the hybrid Fiat 500 and Panda, but in the new i10 there was none, and it seems that it will not be in the new Picanto either.
It is not sure, because we reiterate that we are dealing with the Korean variant, and this has only been presented with an update of the current three-cylinder 1.0, now with 76 HP (67 in the current model) and manual or automatic change. Similarly, there is no trace of the more powerful 1.2, which could mean that a hybrid would come later. We will have to wait.