Kia Morning Real-Life Photos Revealed

Kia yesterday presented for the first time the new-generation Picanto, the small model that will be unveiled this year in Switzerland at the 2011 Geneva Auto Show, but will be sold in most markets around the world. It appears that Kia has opted for the Morning designation for its domestic market, as a kia-world.net reader managed to snap a few photos with the car while being displayed in a showroom.

Of course, Kia hasn't mentioned anything about the South Korean version of the Picanto, but the car is expected to go on sale in the first quarter of the year, probably even before the public debut at Geneva.

Technical details for the so-called Morning are not available, but in Europe the car will be offered with four engines, 1.0- and 1.2-liter, each of them especially configured for reduced emissions and improved fuel consumption. LPG and flex-fuel will also be introduced on certain markets, the company said in a statement rolled out yesterday.

“In profile, new Picanto features significant sculpting and a very prominent rising character line. The result is a layering of light and shadow and this breaks up the height, giving the car a more sure-footed stance," Kia’s Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer, said in a statement launched yesterday.

As said, Kia will introduce the new Picanto in multiple countries and is always looking into ways to bring the car into yet unexplored markets, such as Australia. The company hasn't mentioned whether it will introduce the model in the US or not, but new information will probably emerge closer to the Geneva debut.