Kia Picanto: the city car called Morning at home

The Kia Picanto is a city car that Kia has produced since 2003. In Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Chile it is sold as the Kia Morning, and it was designed to fit the Korean light-car class, which gives tax benefits to cars under 3,600 mm long and 1,600 mm wide.

Kia Picanto at a glance

History of the Kia Picanto

The name Picanto comes from picante or piccante, the Spanish and Italian words for spicy. The Korean name Morning probably refers to the “Land of Morning Calm”, the phrase by which Korea became known abroad after Percival Lowell’s 1886 book. The car is built mainly at the Donghee joint-venture plant in Seosan, Korea, though some countries assemble knock-down kits.

First generation (2003)

The Picanto was revealed at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show. It used a shortened platform from the Hyundai Getz, was 3,495 mm long and came only as a five-door hatchback. Buyers could choose a 1.0-litre petrol engine of 61 hp or a 1.1-litre of 65 hp, both with multi-point injection; in Europe there was also a 1.1-litre three-cylinder diesel derived from the Cerato’s 1.5-litre four, with direct injection and a variable-geometry turbocharger, giving 75 hp and 153 Nm. Combined consumption was 5.1 and 5.2 litres per 100 km for the petrol engines and 4.4 for the diesel, and an automatic gearbox with a torque converter was optional on the petrol cars. A 1.2-litre engine, also used in the Hyundai i10, was sold in some countries. To appeal to European buyers Kia fitted a CD player with MP3, air conditioning, front and patented rear electric windows, remote central locking and electric mirrors.

Facelifts

The Picanto was facelifted in 2007 with new light clusters, bumpers and grille, a switch to electric power steering, and an LPG version for Italy. In 2009 it received another small update including a front end with the Tiger Nose grille, but that version was not exported to Europe. In Malaysia the car was rebadged as the Naza Suria, renamed Naza Picanto on 30 October 2009.

Second generation (2011)

The TA generation made its debut at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, designed by Kia’s European team in Frankfurt under Peter Schreyer, with a longer wheelbase and body than before. It came with a 1.0-litre three-cylinder or a 1.25-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, the latter with Kia’s ecoDynamics start-stop system in Europe, and a petrol/LPG 1.0 was also offered; Brazil had a flex-fuel 1.0. The five-door was sold worldwide except in North America, Venezuela, China and Singapore, while Europe alone got a three-door with its own windows, doors, bumpers and grille trim. In Korea the Morning was sold with a Sport Pack using the three-door’s bumpers and a digital speedometer, and in November 2013 Kia Netherlands built 500 examples of the Picanto R-Cross with a black body kit and 14-inch alloys.

Design and features

• Light-car class: under 3,600 mm long and 1,600 mm wide, which earns tax benefits in Korea.
• Small engines: 1.0 and 1.1 petrol, a 1.1 diesel in Europe and a 1.2 in some markets.
• Two names: Picanto almost everywhere, Morning in Korea and a few other markets.
• Three-door for Europe: the second generation offered a body style Europe alone received.

Kia Picanto versions

• Picanto SA (2003–2011): five-door, 1.0 and 1.1 petrol, 1.1 diesel in Europe.
• 2007 and 2009 facelifts: new lights and grille, electric power steering, LPG for Italy.
• Picanto TA (2011–): 1.0 three-cylinder and 1.25 four, three-door in Europe.
• Picanto R-Cross (2013): 500 cars for the Netherlands with a black body kit.

The Picanto is Kia’s smallest car, below the Rio, and its tall body makes it a rival to the Venga in Europe. More Kia models are in the Kia collection.

Sources

• Kia Picanto, English Wikipedia: names, light-car class, engines, facelifts, generations