Styling & Design

More space, more style, more choice and less drag

Over the last three years the Kia product family has undergone a complete design metamorphosis, moving from ‘rational mainstream’ to ‘trendsetter’.

This process started with the iconic Kia Soul, and was accelerated with the arrival of the distinctive Venga and the dramatic new Sportage. These exciting new vehicles all belong to a new design strategy that has redefined Kia as a manufacturer of trendsetting cars with global appeal.

The Picanto is the newest member to join this exciting and stylish Kia family. Kia has taken a courageous new step with the latest version of its smallest model. The character of the car has been transformed from ‘cute’ and ‘friendly’ into mature and handsome, designed to turn heads on the high street, thanks to its good looking, sexy proportions and dynamic design language. Picanto in its newest form exudes a bold self confidence and maturity which is unique in the A-segment.

Looking at the stance of the new Picanto, for instance, there is a greater sense of stability and strength which is emphasized by the muscular wheel arches, low wide rocker panel and wide set alloy wheels.

Up front, the face of the Picanto expresses the same assertive vigour and refinement as its bigger brothers, the Venga and the Sportage, and shares with them the same signature ‘tiger nose’ grille.

The ‘eyes’ of the tiger, formed by Picanto’s standard daylight running lights (with optional LED on EX models*) suggest high levels of design and high-tech sophistication. Combined with a dramatic lower grille opening, the lights create a sporty and distinctive down-road graphic.

This bold front end is supported by a strongly-sculpted and dynamic body which emphasizes the strength and maturity of the Picanto and gives the vehicle a real ‘premium presence’ on the road. The strong body feature line along the flank brings a dynamic tension to the car’s profile and beautifully integrates the exterior door handles. This is just another example of the attention to detail which sets the new Picanto apart from its competitors.

Looking from the rear, the Picanto’s new design theme emphasizes chic modernity, with its large rear window framed by the unique rear lamp graphic and supported by a strong purposeful bumper section.

New Picanto makes a strong, well balanced and cohesive design statement which avoids unnecessary decoration and combines a contemporary fashionable feel with rational functionality. This is a car which will be equally at home downtown or in the countryside.

The 3-door model, with its unique treatment to C-pillar, bumpers and grille, will go on sale during the third quarter of 2011. It will offer an even more exciting exterior theme which will broaden the Picanto’s appeal to an even wider audience.

The graphic composition of the 3-door Picanto’s front face has been subtly moulded to increase the sporty character of the vehicle. The expression is more aggressive, the message is livelier – this car is looking for action! Likewise from the rear, the contrasting bumper insert emphasizes the car’s width and strength. It’s all finely tuned to create a car with a distinctly different character to the 5-door model.

While becoming more stylish, the new 3.6-metre long Picanto will also remain an extremely practical car. On the outside, overall vehicle length has increased by 60 mm, and the wheelbase has grown by 15 mm. Although new Picanto is a larger car with more equipment, clever engineering and greater use of high-strength steel in the bodyshell has resulted in the new model weighing a little less than its predecessor – up to 10 kg less, depending on model.

These dimension increases, and some clever interior packaging, have enhanced the cabin space for people (front legroom is up by 36 mm), and for cargo, with trunk capacity increased by 27% to 200 litres.

Attention to small details of the exterior design have improved the new Picanto’s aerodynamics, reducing its drag figure to just Cd 0.31 – better than the vast majority of A-segment cars.

Projection-style headlamps and LED daytime running lights, rear combination lamps and high-level stop light will be available as options on EX models. On both LX and EX models*, customers can choose to have 14-inch or 15-inch alloy wheels instead of the standard steel wheels – bringing added sophistication to the new Picanto’s exterior appearance.

Kia expects the new 3-door model to account for 33% of Picanto sales. The sportier-looking 3-door will be key in driving ‘conquest’ sales to new, younger consumer groups.

Manufactured exclusively at the Seosan plant in Korea, new Picanto will be presented in a range of nine exterior colours (for Europe) – two solid and seven metallic – but individual markets may offer a selection of these colours to suit local preferences.