Kia has confirmed that the newly upgraded 2007 Kia Picanto will make its world premiere at the 34th Salon Internacional del Automovil in Barcelona, Spain on 7 June. Kia’s design teams in Korea and Europe have revisited the company’s smallest car, preserved its ‘young, sporty and friendly’ spirit, and evolved the new 2007 Picanto – a car with more glamorous looks, an upgraded interior and higher quality audio equipment.

Attractively refreshed and restyled to be ‘more rounded and intimate’, the 2007 Picanto is 40 mm longer, with an overall length of 3535 mm, featuring an extended, rounded nose and deeper, larger rear bumper. All-new panels are used for the bonnet, front wings, front bumper and rear bumper. The front and rear light clusters are new and follow the ‘rounded’ theme.

A new wider radiator grille, with black mesh background and twin horizontal chromed bars supporting the central Kia badge, is part of the evolving design process that is defining a new ‘Face of Kia’. The standard roof spoiler now extends across the full width of the car, while the wheelbase is unchanged at 2370 mm. Customers will be offered a choice of five new exciting, contemporary colours in a range of nine exterior colours.

“Picanto is a great success for Kia, recording more than 250,000 sales for us in Europe in a segment where we previously had no presence,” commented Jean-Charles Lievens, Senior Vice President Kia Motors Europe. “Now we have refreshing our small car, upgrading its equipment and introducing a range of customer benefits, to maintain its appeal and expand sales to 90,000 units annually over the next few years.”