Kia's Striking New Picanto Shapes Up

Official sketches reveal cool new city car and Five-door only; sportier than current model.

THE Kia Picanto has been something of an unsung hero in the city car class,but these official design sketches of the all-new third-generation model suggest things could be about to change. While we’ve already seen leaked pictures, the illustrations give us our best look yet at the newcomer before it’s officially unveiled at March’s Geneva Motor Show.

Kia is aiming to put some distance between the Picanto and its closely related cousin, the Hyundai i10, in terms of image. The sketches show that the brand has taken a sporty approach; a narrow ‘tiger nose’ grille stretches across the front end, while the gaping bumper grille and red exterior detailing add to the sporty lines.