One of Australia's most affordable cars will live on! 2024 Kia Picanto facelift leaked ahead of the MG3 rival's imminent reveal

The Kia Picanto is one of Australia’s most affordable cars still on-sale, having been on our shores since 2016, and it looks like it will get a renewed lease on life next year thanks to an incoming comprehensive update.

While some may have been holding out for a long-rumoured new-generation version (which Kia has indicated may include electrification), for now it looks as though the Picanto will receive a significant facelift this time around.

Thanks to pics of a high-spec GT-Line leaked and shared by the KoreanCarBlog we can see the Picanto scores a new face with brand’s current design language, LED headlights with a redesigned style conforming to the brand’s ‘star map’ signature, new two-tone alloy wheels, and a more contemporary rear hatch treatment, with a contemporary boot-spanning running light and a tucked rear bumper with a diffuser look to is underside.

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Pictures of the interior are yet to be revealed, but don’t expect a massive departure from the current car’s layout. If the Picanto follows suit with the rest of Kia’s range, it could mean the inclusion of the dual 10.25-inch screens for the digital instrument cluster and multimedia screen on higher-grade cars, as well as updates to the car’s standard safety suite.

The KoreanCarBlog speculates such equipment will include blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane keep assistance and driver attention warning which are missing from the current vehicle. The blog also speculates a mild-hybrid powertrain will be added for the European market, although we wouldn’t be surprised to see the current outdated 1.25-litre four-cylinder petrol engine (62kW/122Nm) continue for more affordable grades in Australia.

The other engine available in the lineup is a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol (74kW/172Nm) currently only available in the GT grade.

While the update staves off a new-generation vehicle for years to come, it allows Kia to continue to offer the Australian market a comparatively affordable option, particularly in the poorly served sub-$20,000 bracket.

Speaking to CarsGuide earlier in 2023, Kia’s product planning chief Roland Rivero said the brand was committed to both the Picanto and the sub-$20k space, saying: “It’s going to be here for a long time yet.”

“We’re not afraid as a brand, even though we’re pushing upmarket. We have no concerns about having a product like Picanto in our range. Frankly we do not see any negatives. We fought hard to bring Picanto to market and we have no desire to say farewell to it.”

However, Kia will lose the larger Rio hatch when the run of the current vehicle expires, as the next-generation model will be left-hand-drive only.

While we expect to see the Picanto update land in Australia in late 2023 or early 2024, it could be the only vehicle left in that pricing and even size space at that time. MG has stated its popular but ageing MG3 is not long for this world, and Suzuki’s similarly-priced Ignis is also comparatively old.

Mitsubishi has expressed interest in replacing its once popular and affordable Mirage with the currently-Japan-only eK X electric small car (potentially Australia’s most affordable EV), while MG has discussed the possibility of a similar plan for an MG3 replacement, although neither have been confirmed.