HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Kia Picanto is a
city car The A-segment is the 1st category in the passenger car classification system defined by the European Commission. It is used for city cars, the smallest category of passenger cars defined. A-segment sales represent approx. 7-8% of the market in ...
that has been produced by the South Korean car manufacturer,
Kia Kia Corporation, commonly known as Kia (, ; formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry and Kia Motors Corporation), is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second lar ...
, since 2003. Other names of the car include Kia Morning ( ko, 기아 모닝, translit=Gia Moning) in South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan (first two generations) and Chile, Kia EuroStar in Taiwan (first generation), Kia New Morning in Vietnam and the Naza Suria or Naza Picanto in Malaysia (first generation). The Picanto is primarily manufactured at the Donghee joint-venture plant in
Seosan Seosan () is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea, with a population of roughly 175,000 according to the 2017 census. Located at the northwestern end of South Chungcheong Province, it is bounded by Dangjin City, Naepo New Town, Yes ...
, South Korea, though some countries locally assemble
complete knock-down A knock-down kit (also knockdown kit, knocked-down kit, or simply knockdown or KD) is a collection of parts required to assemble a product. The parts are typically manufactured in one country or region, then exported to another country or region ...
versions of the car. The vehicle has been developed in compliance with the "light car" ( ko, 경차, translit=Gyeongcha) category in South Korea which offers tax incentives for vehicles with exterior dimensions below in length and in width. __TOC__


Name origin

The name ''“Picanto”'' relates to the Spanish and Italian words “picante/piccante”, meaning “spicy.” The Korean’s version name ''“Morning”'' may trace its origin from the ''“Morning Calm”'', as a reference to South Korea’s tradition. Since 1886, when a book written by
Percival Lowell Percival Lowell (; March 13, 1855 – November 12, 1916) was an American businessman, author, mathematician, and astronomer who fueled speculation that there were canals on Mars, and furthered theories of a ninth planet within the Solar System. ...
obtained large success in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
in narrating the history of Korea, the country started to be internationally referred as “ the Land of Morning calm”, and its ruling monarchy the
Joseon Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...
, became known abroad as the ''“Morning Dynasty”''.


First generation (SA; 2003)

The first generation Picanto was revealed at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show. It was based on a shortened platform of the
Hyundai Getz The Hyundai Getz is a supermini manufactured and marketed by Hyundai from 2002 to 2011 in three and five-door hatchback body styles over a single generation — and marketed globally except in the United States, Canada and China. The Getz ...
and was long, with a five-door
hatchback A hatchback is a car body configuration with a rear door that swings upward to provide access to a cargo area. Hatchbacks may feature fold-down second row seating, where the interior can be reconfigured to prioritize passenger or cargo volume. ...
body style. The car was available with a choice of two petrol engines: a 1.0-litre, with and , or a 1.1-litre, with and , both with multipoint injection. In Europe, a 1.1-litre three-cylinder
diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...
(based on the
Kia Cerato The Kia Cerato (also known as the Kia Forte in North America, K3 in South Korea or the Forte K3 or Shuma in China) is a compact car produced by the South Korean manufacturer Kia since 2003. In 2008, the Cerato nameplate was replaced by the Fort ...
's 1.5-litre
four-cylinder The engine configuration describes the fundamental operating principles by which internal combustion engines are categorized. Piston engines are often categorized by their cylinder layout, valves and camshafts. Wankel engines are often categorize ...
unit) was also available, with direct injection and a variable geometry turbocharger, the power reaching and a torque of . The petrol engines had a combined consumption of and respectively, while the diesel used . An
automatic gearbox An automatic transmission (sometimes abbreviated to auto or AT) is a multi-speed transmission used in internal combustion engine-based motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving c ...
(with torque converter) was optional for the petrol units. In some countries, it was sold with a 1.2-litre engine, also used on the newer
Hyundai i10 The Hyundai i10 is a city car produced by the South Korean manufacturer Hyundai since 2007. It replaced the Hyundai Atos in the model line-up, and was initially available only as a five-door hatchback body style. The third generation i10 was unve ...
. To increase its appeal in the European market, the Picanto was equipped with such features as CD player with MP3 audio playback, air conditioning, front and patented rear electric windows, remote central locking, and electric mirrors. These features were advertised in a short-lived campaign starring
Marcus Grönholm Marcus Ulf Johan Grönholm (born February 5, 1968) is a Finnish former rally and rallycross driver, being part of a family of the Swedish-speaking population of Finland lineage. His son, Niclas Grönholm, is an upcoming FIA World Rallycross Champ ...
.


Safety

Euro NCAP The European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) is a European voluntary car safety performance assessment programme (i.e. a New Car Assessment Program) based in Leuven (Belgium) formed in 1996, with the first results released in February ...
test results for a LHD, 5-door hatchback variant on a 2004 registration:


Facelift

;2007 The Picanto received a facelift in 2007. Among the minor changes were the light clusters (front and rear), a new bumper and front grille. For the UK and Cyprus markets, the indicator stalk was switched to the opposite side. For the Italian market, a new bi-fuel LPG version debuted alongside the 1.0 L and 1.1 L engines. This model also saw a change in
power steering A power steering is a mechanical device equipped on a motor vehicle that helps drivers steer the vehicle by reducing steering effort needed to turn the steering wheel, making it easier for the vehicle to turn or maneuver at lower speeds. Hydraul ...
configuration from
hydraulic Hydraulics (from Greek: Υδραυλική) is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counter ...
to
electric Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by ...
. File:2009 Kia Picanto Strike 1.1 Front.jpg, 2009 Kia Picanto Strike (first facelift) File:2009 Kia Picanto Strike 1.1 Rear.jpg, 2009 Kia Picanto Strike (first facelift) File:2010 Kia Picanto Graphite 1.1 Front.jpg, 2010 Kia Picanto Graphite (first facelift) File:2010 Kia Picanto Graphite 1.1 Rear.jpg, 2010 Kia Picanto Graphite (first facelift) ;2010 In 2009, for the 2010 model year, the Picanto received some minor interior and exterior changes, including a new front fascia that incorporates the ' tiger nose' grille. This facelifted model would not be exported to Europe. File:Kia Morning 1.1 EX 2011.jpg, 2011 Kia Morning 1.1 EX (second facelift)


Second generation (TA; 2011)

The second generation Picanto made its debut at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. Designed by Kia's European design team based in
Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
,
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, under the direction of
Peter Schreyer Peter Schreyer (born 1953) is a German automobile designer widely known for his design contributions to the Audi TT. He has been the chief design officer at Kia Motors since 2006 and, on 28 December 2012, he was named one of three presidents of ...
, the new model is longer in wheelbase and overall length than its predecessor. The Picanto is offered with a choice of two
gasoline Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organic co ...
engines: a 1.0 liter three-cylinder or a 1.25 liter
four-cylinder The engine configuration describes the fundamental operating principles by which internal combustion engines are categorized. Piston engines are often categorized by their cylinder layout, valves and camshafts. Wankel engines are often categorize ...
. The Europe-spec 1.25 liter engine features ecoDynamics, Kia's
start-stop system A vehicle start-stop system or stop-start system automatically shuts down and restarts the internal combustion engine to reduce the amount of time the engine spends idling, thereby reducing fuel consumption and emissions. This is most advanta ...
. In addition, there is also a petrol/ LPG version of the 1.0 liter engine available. The Brazil version is equipped with a
flex fuel A flexible-fuel vehicle (FFV) or dual-fuel vehicle (colloquially called a flex-fuel vehicle) is an alternative fuel vehicle with an internal combustion engine designed to run on more than one fuel, usually gasoline blended with either ethanol or ...
version of the 1.0 liter engine that uses both petrol and
ethanol Ethanol (abbr. EtOH; also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound. It is an Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol with the chemical formula . Its formula can be also written as or (an ethyl ...
. The Picanto was available worldwide (except
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
,
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, and
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
) as a 5-door hatchback while the European market received the exclusive 3-door variant. The 3-door version is the same length as the 5-door model, but it sports new windows and doors, different bumpers and a front grille with silver or red trim. In South Korea, the Morning is offered in a Sport Pack, which consists of the 3-door's front and rear bumpers, as well as a digital speedometer. In some countries, the Picanto name is accompanied by a modifier for marketing reasons. Examples include ''Picanto Ion'' for
Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
, ''Picanto R'' for
Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...
, ''Picanto Flex'' for
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, ''Picanto K1'' for Thailand, and ''Picanto 1250'' for
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. In the
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
n market, the 1.0 liter variant was named ''Morning 1.0'' to distinguish it from the 1.2 liter Picanto; this variant was sold in 2015 only. The second-generation Picanto for the Pakistani market was launched at Pakistan Auto Parts Show (PAPS) 2019. It is locally assembled at
Kia Lucky Motors Lucky Motor Corporation (LMC) is a Pakistani automobile manufacturer which is a part subsidiary of South Korean automobile manufacturer Kia Motors. It is a joint venture between Lucky Group and Kia Motors. Kia Lucky Motors Pakistan has recently c ...
' plant in
Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
and will be equipped with 1.0 liter engine. Production commenced in August 2019, with actual sales expected starting October 2019.


Picanto R-Cross

In November 2013, Kia Netherlands released a limited edition model called the Picanto R-Cross. Marketed to compete with the Volkswagen CrossUp, this model featured a black body kit that wrapped around the wheel wells and was fitted with 14" alloy wheels. Only 500 units of the R-Cross were produced.


Marketing

As part of the marketing campaign for the Picanto, Kia produced a promotional video featuring the world's first nail art animation. Over 900
artificial nails Artificial nails, also known as fake nails, false nails, acrylic nails, nail extensions or nail enhancements, are extensions placed over fingernails as fashion accessories. Many artificial nail designs attempt to mimic the appearance of real fi ...
and 1,200 bottles of
nail polish Nail polish (also known as nail varnish or nail enamel) is a lacquer that can be applied to the human fingernail or toenails to decorate and protect the nail plates. The formula has been revised repeatedly to enhance its decorative properties ...
were used in a span of 25 days (with each nail taking two hours to paint) to create images of the Picanto in motion. In the UK, the Picanto is the official sponsor of the
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
dating game show '' Take Me Out''. Kia UK released a series of viral videos on their
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
channel to promote both the car and the programme. Each video features actress Natasha Barrero, as she drives a black Picanto 3-door before being swooned over by different men. A Lemon Grass Morning appears as the transforming robot Tobot D in the South Korean animated series ''
Tobot ''Tobot'' (Korean: 변신자동차 또봇, RR: ''Byeonsinjadongcha Ttobot'') is a South Korean animated television series produced by Young Toys and Retrobot. The series features transforming cars — some of which are designed after Kia vehic ...
''.


Awards

The Picanto won the iF product design award in the "Transportation Design" category in 2011 and the
Red Dot The Red Dot Design Award is a German international design prize awarded by Red Dot GmbH & Co. KG. There are prize categories for product design, brands and communication design, and design concept. Since 1955, designers and producers can apply ...
award in the "Automobiles, transportation, commercial and water vehicles" category in 2012. ''
Top Gear Top Gear may refer to: * "Top gear", the highest gear available in a vehicle's manual transmission Television * ''Top Gear'' (1977 TV series), a British motoring magazine programme * ''Top Gear'' (2002 TV series), a relaunched version of the or ...
'' magazine named the Picanto "Bargain Car of the Year" in 2011. The Association of Scottish Motoring Writers awarded the Picanto as "Best Small Car" in 2011. In South Africa, the Picanto took the
Standard Bank Standard Bank Group Limited is a major South African bank and financial services group. It is Africa's biggest lender by assets. The company's corporate headquarters, Standard Bank Centre, is situated in Simmonds Street, Johannesburg. History ...
People's Wheels Award for "Budget Buys - Affordability First" three years straight from 2011 to 2013. In 2016,
J.D. Power and Associates J.D. Power is an American consumer research, data, and analytics firm based in Troy, Michigan. The company was founded in 1968 by James David Power III. It conducts surveys of customer satisfaction, product quality, and buyer behavior for the au ...
awarded the Picanto on UK Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) in the City Car category.


Facelift

;2014 For the 2014 model year, the Morning in South Korea was updated to use the European three-door's front and rear bumpers with the headlights incorporating a new LED daytime running light system. The interior featured a revised instrument cluster with a digital speedometer. The silver trim was replaced with a gloss black trim. A touchscreen multimedia stereo system was offered as an option. The new model was equipped with seven airbags, a Cornering Brake Control system, a handbrake alarm, and height adjustable seat belts. Aside from the standard 1.0 liter gasoline engine, the Picanto was offered with a new "Eco-Plus" engine mated to a
continuously variable transmission A continuously variable transmission (CVT) is an automatic transmission that can change seamlessly through a continuous range of gear ratios. This contrasts with other transmissions that provide a limited number of gear ratios in fixed steps. T ...
(CVT). The international version of the Picanto remained unchanged aside from the new front bumper. ;2015 For the 2015 model year, the Picanto received redesigned front and rear bumpers with new fog lamps. In addition, the car was offered with a
turbocharged In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...
version of its 1.0 liter Kappa II engine, which increased power output from 69 hp to 106 hp. The revised engine met Euro 6 standards. The Picanto was also offered with optional front disc brakes, an increase from the stock . The facelifted Picanto debuted at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show in March and went on sale across Europe by the end of the month. File:Kia Picanto (TA) facelift.jpg, Facelift, front view (Brazil) File:Kia Picanto - tył (MSP15) (cropped).JPG, Rear view (Europe)


Safety

;Euro NCAP
Euro NCAP The European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) is a European voluntary car safety performance assessment programme (i.e. a New Car Assessment Program) based in Leuven (Belgium) formed in 1996, with the first results released in February ...
test results for a LHD, 5-door hatchback variant on a 2011 registration: ;ASEAN NCAP
ASEAN NCAP The New Car Assessment Program for Southeast Asia, or known as ASEAN NCAP, is an automobile safety rating program jointly established by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) and Global New Car Assessment Program (Global NCAP ...
test results for a RHD, 5-door hatchback variant on a 2013 registration (with and without airbags): The airbag variant tested was the Malaysian model equipped with six airbags,
Electronic stability control Electronic stability control (ESC), also referred to as electronic stability program (ESP) or dynamic stability control (DSC), is a computerized technology that improves a vehicle's stability by detecting and reducing loss of traction ( skiddi ...
(ESC), and Isofix. The non-airbag variant tested was the Thai version, which is similarly equipped as the Philippine and Indonesian models. ;Australian NCAP Australian NCAP test results for a RHD, 5-door hatchback variant on a 2016 registration: ;Latin NCAP The Picanto in its most basic Latin American configuration with no airbags, no ABS and no ESC received 0 stars for adult occupants and 1 star for toddlers from
Latin NCAP The Latin New Car Assessment Programme (Latin NCAP) is an automobile safety assessment programme for Latin America and the Caribbean. Founded in 2010, it offers independent information to consumers about the safety levels of new cars in the ...
in 2016 (only in 2020 did the protocol reach the Euro NCAP 2014 level). ; Global NCAP The African version of the Picanto with driver airbag and no ABS received 3 stars for adult occupants and 2 stars for infants from
Global NCAP The Global New Car Assessment Programme (Global NCAP) is a project of the Towards Zero Foundation, a UK-registered charity. The programme aims to promote the sale of safer cars in developing markets by empowering consumers with objective info ...
in 2018 (similar to Latin NCAP 2013).


Third generation (JA; 2017)

The third-generation Picanto made its official global debut at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show. The new Picanto was equipped with a choice of three engines: the outgoing model's 1.0-liter ''Kappa II'' three-cylinder engine in the multi-point injected and turbocharged direct-injected versions, and the 1.2-liter ''Kappa II'' four-cylinder engine. Both 1.0-liter engines were mated exclusively with a 5-speed manual transmission, while the 1.2-liter engine was also offered with an optional 4-speed automatic transmission. The car features all-new safety features such as Torque Vectoring Brake Based (TVBB) system, Straight Line Stability (SLS), Forward Collision Warning System (FCWS) and Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB). For the Malaysian market, the third-generation Picanto was launched in January 2018. It was powered by the naturally-aspirated 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine and was initially available in only one trim level (EX), with a 4-speed automatic transmission. In January 2019, the GT-Line variant was announced, featuring Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) and many other new features. In May 2019, a base variant KX and a crossover variant designated X-Line were added. For the Indonesian market, the third generation Picanto went on sale in October 2019. It was powered by the 1.2-liter four-cylinder engine and offered in GT-Line and EX trim levels with either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic transmission. The Picanto was discontinued in Indonesia in 2022.


Marketing

Kia Motors in South Korea debuted the Morning in January 2017 with a series of TV commercials featuring actors
Shim Eun-kyung Shim Eun-kyung (born May 31, 1994) is a South Korean actress. She has starred in the box office hits '' Sunny'' (2011), ''Miss Granny'' (2014) and ''Fabricated City'' (2017), as well as television series ''Naeil's Cantabile'' (2014). In 2020, s ...
, Park Jung-min, and
Jin Kyung Jin Kyung (born March 27, 1972) is a South Korean actress. Career Jin made her stage debut in 1998 and spent ten years in theater, before becoming active in film and television. She won Best Supporting Actress at the 50th Baeksang Arts Award ...
. For the international release of the Picanto and the fourth generation Kia Rio, Kia Motors produced two music videos featuring Korean-American singer Kate Kim and American musician Lee Radde in May 2017. The Picanto GT Line was featured in Season 2 Episode 3 of ''
The Grand Tour ''The Grand Tour'' is a British motoring television series, created by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May and Andy Wilman, made for Amazon exclusively for its online streaming service Amazon Prime Video, and premiered on 18 Novembe ...
'', where co-presenters
James May James Daniel May (born 16 January 1963) is an English television presenter and journalist. He is best known as a co-presenter of the motoring programme ''Top Gear (2002 TV series), Top Gear'' alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond from ...
and
Richard Hammond Richard Mark Hammond (born 19 December 1969) is an English journalist, television presenter, mechanic, and writer. He is best known for co-hosting the BBC Two motoring programme ''Top Gear'' from 2002 until 2015 with Jeremy Clarkson and Jame ...
drove it on a "lunchtime office car park racing" track at Houghton Hall business park in the
Luton/Dunstable Urban Area The Luton/Dunstable Urban Area, according to the Office for National Statistics, is the conurbation (continuous built up area) including the settlements of Luton, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, in Bedfordshire, East of England. Despite straddli ...
.


Awards

The third generation Picanto won the iF product design award in the "Transportation Design" category and the
Red Dot The Red Dot Design Award is a German international design prize awarded by Red Dot GmbH & Co. KG. There are prize categories for product design, brands and communication design, and design concept. Since 1955, designers and producers can apply ...
award in the "Car Design" category in 2018. ''
What Car? ''What Car?'' is a British monthly automobile magazine and website, currently edited by Steve Huntingford and published by Haymarket Consumer Media. Other team members include deputy editor Darren Moss and test editors Will Nightingale, Neil ...
'' named the Picanto "Best City Car" in their 2018 Car of the Year Awards.


Safety

;Euro NCAP
Euro NCAP The European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) is a European voluntary car safety performance assessment programme (i.e. a New Car Assessment Program) based in Leuven (Belgium) formed in 1996, with the first results released in February ...
test results in 2017 for a LHD, 5-door hatchback variant with standard equipment on a 2017 registration: Euro NCAP test results in 2017 for a LHD, 5-door hatchback variant with optional safety pack on a 2017 registration: ;Latin NCAP
Latin NCAP The Latin New Car Assessment Programme (Latin NCAP) is an automobile safety assessment programme for Latin America and the Caribbean. Founded in 2010, it offers independent information to consumers about the safety levels of new cars in the ...
results for the Korean-made Picanto in its most basic Latin American configuration with two airbags, no load limiters, and no ESC under their new rating protocol (similar to
Euro NCAP The European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) is a European voluntary car safety performance assessment programme (i.e. a New Car Assessment Program) based in Leuven (Belgium) formed in 1996, with the first results released in February ...
2014) in 2020 for a LHD, 5-door hatchback variant with only one airbag. It received a zero-star rating.


2020 facelift

In June 2020, Kia introduced a mid-life facelift. Featuring styling tweaks on the exterior, new technology and powertrains. Exterior update on standard models includes restyled headlights and grille, whilst the GT-Line and X-Line trims were given restyled front and rear bumpers. Interior updates includes a 4.2-inch instrument panel and 8-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto supports. Other interior updates are new upholstery and different colour trim options. The engine range has also been updated with revised fuel injection and engine management to improve fuel economy as well as a five-speed automatic gearbox to replace the older four-speed one. Safety and driver assist technology has been updated with features such as lane-keeping aid and emergency stop signal, the latter of which automatically turn on the car’s hazard lights in an event of sudden braking.


Reliability

In January 2013, the Picanto was named most reliable car in the UK, according to data published by
Moneysupermarket.com Moneysupermarket.com Group PLC is a British price comparison website-based business specialising in financial services. The website enables consumers to compare prices on a range of products, including energy, car insurance, home insurance, tr ...
in conjunction with
Warranty Direct Warranty Direct is a provider of direct consumer warranties based in the United Kingdom. The brand advertises products such as new car warranty, and extended warranty. History Extended warranties were the norm in North America, and were grow ...
. Out of a Reliability Index (RI) of 100 (the lower the score, the fewer problems reported by owners), the Picanto achieved a score of 3.00/100.


Motorsport

The Picanto is an official race car in
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
's Kia Platinum Cup, a racing organization created by Kia Motors Polska and
Polish Automobile and Motorcycle Association The Polski Związek Motorowy (PZM, PZMot) ( en, Polish Automobile and Motorcycle Federation) is an automobile club and the governing body of motorsports in Poland. It is based in Warsaw. Established in 1950 by merging the Polish Car Club and the ...
. The organization started in 2006 as the Kia Picanto Cup before establishing a partnership with Grupa Lotos to form the Kia Lotos Race a year later. Following the 2017 season, the organization was changed to Kia Platinum Cup after
PKN Orlen Polski Koncern Naftowy Orlen Spółka Akcyjna (PKN Orlen S.A.), commonly known as Orlen, is a Polish oil refiner and petrol retailer. The corporation is a significant European publicly traded firm with major operations in Poland, Czech Republic, ...
replaced Grupa Lotos as the title sponsor. The Morning is also an official race car in the Korea Speed Festival. In 2018, the Kia Picanto GT Cup was established in
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
by Kia Motors Portugal and CRM Motorsport.


Chinese copy controversy

In 2015, a Chinese low-speed electric vehicle manufacturer Yogomo released the Yogomo 330
electric car An electric car, battery electric car, or all-electric car is an automobile that is propelled by one or more electric motors, using only energy stored in batteries. Compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, electric cars are quie ...
, which is a near-exact copy of the second generation Picanto.


Sales

The Picanto was Kia's best selling vehicle in Europe from 2004 to 2006, accounting for a third of the brand sales volumes during these years.


References


External links

* (South Korea) * (UK) {{Authority control Picanto Cars introduced in 2004 2010s cars 2020s cars City cars Hatchbacks Front-wheel-drive vehicles ANCAP superminis ASEAN NCAP superminis Euro NCAP superminis Global NCAP superminis Latin NCAP superminis Vehicles with CVT transmission