2024 Kia Picanto Facelift Officially Bows With Angrier New Look

Refreshed 2024 Kia Picanto supermini has officially bowed in South Korea this week with striking new looks.

Following leaked images circling the web late last month, the refreshed 2024 Kia Picanto supermini has officially bowed in South Korea this week. As we’ve seen prior, the supermini has gained a substantial exterior redesign whilst its mechanical underpinnings remain reportedly unchanged.

Much of the exterior refresh sees this supermini resembling bigger and electrified Kia models, especially up front where it gets a whole new front bumper, ‘tiger nose’ grille, and all-LED forward lighting. In fact, this angrier new face mirrors closely with the new Kia Niro EV crossover that launched locally earlier today.

New 'Tiger Nose' grille, plus all-LED headlights, DRLs and connecting lightbar, and the new bumper all form an angrier new front fascia.

Whilst on the front still, you’ll also note that the all-LED lighting suite mentioned encompasses both new main headlights with integrated daytime running lights (DRLs) and a connecting lightbar running across the width of the front end.

At the rear, Kia has freshen up the also all-LED taillights that also feature a connecting lightbar running across the entire tailgate’s width. Both the rear hatch and bumper have been redesigned to house said new lighting and, in the case of the higher-specced GT-Line variant pictured, a new faux rear diffuser too.

Changes at the rear a little more restraint, but there are new taillights, rear hatch and bumper, plus this GT-Line variant's faux diffuser.

Capping off the exterior tweaks is the snazzy new two-tone 16-inch allow wheels this higher-specced GT-Line variant pictured rolls on. Lower-end guises get either 14- or 15-inch wheels instead, whilst the sunroof is reportedly offered as a cost-option.

Both digital driver and infotainment displays are new, the latter being a touchscreen measuring 8-inches.

On board, it appears little has changed with this supermini’s cabin, though there are a few subtle changes. New here are the digital instrument display and 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display, as is the sporty flat-bottomed steering wheel primed in this GT-Line variant pictured.

Mechanically, Kia hasn’t released any details, but sources online report that the Korean automaker will retain the same 1.0-litre and 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol mills seen in the pre-facelift version, albeit with minor revisions to improve efficiency and lower emissions. 

Yes, Kia still offers this supermini with a 5-speed manual transmission option.

Certainly, what’s exciting to note is the fact that Kia will still offer the Picanto with a 5-speed manual transmission option alongside an automatic choice.

In terms of safety, Kia hasn’t left things to chance as they’ve equipped this refreshed supermini with a bevy of advanced driver assists. Highlights include both blind-spot monitoring (BSM), autonomous emergency braking (AEB), active lane assistant, as well as driver attention warning.

With this refresh, Kia clearly hasn’t given up its ambitions in the A-segment cars market worldwide. This aligns with the move by parent company Hyundai who’ve done something similar earlier this year when it refreshed its i20 A-segment entry.

L-R: A comparison of the previous Picanto GT-Line and its latest successor.

Locally, the Kia Picanto was last retailed by the brand’s previous distributors Naza Kia both in standard and GT-Line forms. Since the switch to BAuto/Dinamikjaya Motors, there seems to be no signs of this supermini’s return into the local market just yet, which is arguably a shame.

What you do folks think of this refreshed and now sportier-looking Picanto then? Should BAuto/Dinamikjaya motors consider re-introducing this supermini locally? What would be the right price figure for it command? Hit the comments below – and our social platforms – with your thoughts…