Kia announces engine lineup for the new Picanto

Kia has announced that the new generation Picanto will be powered by more eco-friendly and fuel efficient engines, when the A-segment hatchback goes on sale later this year.

The new Picanto will have its world debut at this year’s Geneva Motor Show in March, having undergone a redesigning and re-engineering process that is expected to convey a “sense of solidity and maturity” to the model.

For this new generation the Picanto has gone longer and saw its wheelbase extended, offering more passenger comfort and 27% increased cargo space. For the first time ever, the Picanto will come with five-door and three-door bodystyles, which might make it one of the most competitive vehicles in the global ‘city car’ A-segment.

At its launch the new Picanto will be offered with a choice of four all-new super-efficient powertrains, three versions of the one-liter, three-cylinder Kappa engine (gasoline, flex fuel and bi-fuel) and a single 1.2-liter four-cylinder gasoline Kappa power unit.

The new engines will deliver power between 69 and 85 PS and torque of 94 to 121 Nm. The CO2 emissions on the new Picanto have also been reduced significantly, with the standard versions of the new lineup producing emissions between 95 to 105 g/km. Generating 82 PS and 94 Nm torque, the bi-fuel 1-liter engine should deliver a fuel economy within the range of 4.2 to 5.9 liters per 100 km.

In order to qualify every model for local emissions-based tax savings in Europe (where available), Kia is installing in all models the fuel-stretching ISG technologies, which cut emissions to between 90 and 100 g/km, while improving fuel economy to a range of 4.1 to 5.6 liters per 100 km.

Depending on the market, the engines will be mated to a choice of five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmissions.