The Korean brand’s local best seller has been given an update. Here’s the 2024 Kia Picanto!

The 2024 Kia Picanto has just been revealed and what you see here is the sporty GT-Line flagship that shows off the extensive redesign. You’ll quickly spot the new paint finish, which is straight from the new-generation Kia Sportage and some of those design elements are very similar to that of both the aforementioned family SUV and the eco-focused Niro.

Despite the rise of the compact SUV and crossover, there’s still a considerable interest in affordable and uncomplicated city hatchbacks. Admittedly in some markets, the A-segment has shrunk dramatically, but right here in South Africa, the Kia Picanto flies the flag as the Korean’s best-selling vehicle, with the Kia Sonet in hot pursuit.

The vertical headlights get an LED bar across the front (like the Seltos GT-Line) and the rear gets the tailgate lightbar treatment. Its a striking upgrade and while this may be the sporty-looking GT-Line, we expect similar for the mainstream models. Pictured here is a European-spec car that comes with a sunroof! As far as wheel sizes are concerned, the Kia Picanto ranges from 14-inch units going up to the 16-inch GT-Line wheels you see here.

Inside, the 2024 Kia Picanto’s cabin has been given a subtle update with the addition of an 8-inch touchscreen and digital dashboard. The GT-Line gets the sporty-looking flat-bottomed steering wheel and as you can see, this Euro-spec flagship comes fully loaded with things like heated seats and a heated steering wheel.

Kia didn’t release too many details about the powertrain lineup other than confirming two engines; a 1.0 and a 1.2, and both of which are naturally-aspirated petrol 3-cylinders. Both a manual gearbox and an automated manual transmission (AMT) will be offered. Kia says these two engines have been updated for efficiency.

2024 Kia Picanto in SA?

Given the popularity of the Korean A-segment hatchback in our land, we will be very surprised if this model doesn’t come to SA. Kia SA put out a statement: “The enhanced Kia Picanto will be available in South Africa in due course – no official launch date is available at the time of release, and features or specifications applicable to the South African model will only be confirmed closer to its South African launch date.“

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