Kia Picanto 2024: GT turbo variant axed in Australia, GT-Line to headline facelifted car

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Kia Australia has finally pulled the covers off its facelifted 2024 Kia Picanto small car, but with the news comes the announcement that the GT flagship will be no more. 

The South Korean brand has restyled the front and rear of the Picanto for 2024 and has brought across styling influences from the brand’s EV9 electric SUV. 

Both a base model variant and a higher-spec GT-Line have been confirmed for the Australian market. 

The facelifted Kia Picanto is set to arrive in Australia during the fourth quarter of 2023, with Kia Australia stating that pricing and further specification will be announced at a date closer to launch. 

What can you expect from the facelifted Kia Picanto?

The ‘baseline’ Picanto, as Kia calls it, will include 14-inch wheels as standard, however the option of nicer 14-inch, 15-inch or 16-inch alloy wheels will be available. 

Gone is the 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine found in the current GT, which will now be replaced by the option of either a 1.0-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine or a 1.2-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine. 

The option of either a five-speed manual transmission or Kia’s new five-speed automatic transmission will be available for the Picanto. 

Kia says the automatic transmission is an AMT unit which is based around a five-speed manual transmission with actuators for the clutch and gear shift. 

Inside the Kia Picanto, things look pretty familiar if you’ve ever found yourself inside the  current-gen small car. The 8.0-inch touchscreen remains, however the digital instrument cluster is new for the Picanto in 2024. 

Kia states that the Picanto features both wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, just like the existing model. 

How safe will the facelifted Picanto be?

The current Kia Picanto currently has a ANCAP safety rating of four stars, however this could change with the upcoming facelift. 

Standard on the 2024 Kia Picanto is forward collision assist with vehicle, cyclist and pedestrian detection, while blind-spot collision avoidance, lane keeping assist, driver attention warning, speed limit assist and lane following assist are also available. 

Rear cross-traffic alert is included, as is emergency stop signal and hill start assist control. 

The new Picanto will also be available with up to seven airbags and features a strengthened front sub-frame and hot stamping for the B-pillar.