Thursday, January 05, 2017
By Kamal Swami
India Bound Kia Picanto Unveiled ahead of Geneva Motor Show
South Korean car maker Kia has released the pictures of the third generation Kia hatchback ahead of its public debut during Geneva Motor Show scheduled to be held in March this year. With third generation the Korean car maker will began its operations in India. In its new avatar, the hatchback receives very bold and aggressive appearance at the exterior front.
The notable changes offered at the exterior include short front fascia followed by long rear portion giving the hatchback an additional bolder look, 15mm extended wheelbase, followed by new paint color option at the beneath of vehicle. Moving inside the cabin you will find newly developed touchscreen infotainment system, but continue with its conventional outlook continuing existing XL- sized air conditioner vents.
Talking about the engine configuration, company has kept its mouth zipped and has not disclosed anything about the powertrain. It is however rumored that the hatchback will be empowered with 1.0 litre, turbocharged, three cylinder engine with two power generation tunes of 99 bhp and 118 bhp. The transmission duties will be performed mainly by manual gearbox system, but depending upon the market requirements company might introduce automatic transmission system also in later months after the launch.
After rendering during the Geneva Motor Show 2017, the hatchback will go for sale by the end of third quarter in global market and by the end of this year in the Indian car market, where it will compete against the upcoming compact cross-over Ignis from Indo-Japanese car makers Maruti Suzuki India Limited. According to reports Korean car maker is soon going its operational activities in Indian car market sometimes from the beginning of March 2017.
