Kia Motors
has begun the global rollout of the 2017 Kia Picanto, and the flagship variant
is the sporty ‘GT-Line’ that could bring another coveted title for the Korean
brand.
The Kia Picanto GT-Line is one of the cheapest
hatchbacks in the world that has a performance focus. The turbocharged engine
that Kia will start offering in Q4 2017 on this variant, will, on paper, make
it the cheapest performance vehicle.
The third generation Kia Picanto is the first Kia
Picanto made in a sporty ‘GT-Line’ trim. Its styling is inspired by that of the
company’s high-performance GT models, such as the Kia Optima GT. The exterior
gets the sporty treatment with red, silver and black highlights in the grille and
intakes.
For the interior, Kia offers the entire range of
colour packs in the Kia Picanto GT-Line: High Gloss Black, Brown, Blue, Red and
Lime. The sporty trim also gets D-cut steering wheel and stainless steel
pedals.
The turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine
develops 100 PS and 172 Nm of torque and is the most powerful unit ever offered
in the company’s A-segment model. This engine will send power to the wheels via
a 5-speed manual transmission.
The Kia Picanto GT-Line with the T-GDi is indeed a bold
move from Kia, as it is almost never that mainstream automakers offer A-segment
cars in performance variants. The Picanto T-GDi will target the smart Brabus
forfour and Renault Twingo GT.
The Kia Picanto’s segment accounts for more than one
million units a year in Western Europe, and Kia expects its latest offering to
sell over 60,000 units. While the naturally aspirated engines would be the
volume spinners, the GT-Line 1.0L T-GDi model will help it achieve that
circa-5.1% market share by gaining a new set of customers, including those
previously opting for the entry-level or mid-tier grades of the B-segment cars
like the Ford Fiesta, VW Polo and the Nissan Micra.
In the UK, the Kia Picanto 1.0-litre T-GDi model
could have an OTR price under £ 15,000.