Kia Picanto Facelift Spied Hiding Under Heavy Camouflage

The current Kia Picanto has been on sale in its current form since the early months of 2017 and now, three years later, the South Korean manufacturer is kicking off work on the facelifted version of the supermini. These spy photos taken in Northern Sweden show a heavily disguised prototype of the revised Picanto and we have to admit we are surprised by the amount of camouflage this trial car wears.

The shape and size of the hatchback, obviously, remain unchanged but the additional concealment at the front suggests this probably won’t be just a minor nip and tuck. Our spy photographers tell us we should expect a redesigned front fascia while the rear end should carry over almost unchanged compared to today’s model. In addition to all changes, look for new exterior colors and wheel designs, together with more customization options.

When it launched on the market in 2017, the Picanto received three gasoline engines, which are still available in most countries - a 1.0-liter motor in turbocharged and naturally aspirated versions, plus a 1.25-liter NA four-cylinder. We don’t expect any changes on that front but word on the street is an all-electric variant of the model could be introduced with the facelifted Picanto. Nothing has been confirmed so far but Kia’s European chief operating officer, Emilio Herrera, recently said the Picanto EV will have to happen “sooner or later.” Hopefully, we’ll get more details soon.

As far as the regular combustion-powered variants are concerned, we expect to see them make a debut towards the end of this year or even in early 2021, considering Kia’s current 3.5- to 4-year cycle of vehicle facelifts.