Before the new Kia Picanto is launched in Malaysia – local distributor Naza Kia has released a teaser image showing the entire front three-quarter of the A-segment city car ahead of its launch next week, January 10.

From what we can see, the third-generation JA will come without the GT Line appearance package that was on the cars previewed in Malaysia thus far. As such, the aggressive front and rear bumper design, side skirts and visible chrome-tipped exhaust pipes won’t make it to our cars, and the 16-inch eight-spoke two-tone alloy wheels will be swapped out for 15-inch silver rollers.


The tiny little runabout will still be packed with kit, including LED daytime running lights within the halogen projector headlights, LED tail lights, fog lights and keyless entry, along with safety kit such as six airbags, ABS, stability control and hill-start assist.

Of course, that’s not surprising, given that the previous-generation TA had all these features as well. What is new is a floating seven-inch infotainment touchscreen, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity and a reverse camera with dynamic guidelines.


Although there were no mention of the powertrain on offer, expect the Picanto to soldier on with the same 1.25 litre four-cylinder as before – making 87 PS at 6,000 rpm and 122 Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm – mated to a four-speed automatic transmission. A five-speed manual was briefly offered on the previous model, but the low take-up rate means that it’s unlikely to make a return here.

To recap, the new Picanto is said to be safer than before, using double the amount of advanced high strength steel as before, at 44%. Despite roughly similar dimensions as before (3,595 mm long, 1,595 mm wide and 1,485 mm tall, 2,400 mm wheelbase), Kia claims increased head-, shoulder- and legroom, and luggage space has increased from 200 litres to 255 litres, expandable to 1,010 litres with the rear seats folded.


During the preview of the new Picanto last month, sales advisors present hinted of a sub-RM 60,000 price tag. That would be more or less identical to the previous model, which retailed at RM 61,888 on-the-road with insurance.