Photo: Theophilus Chin
A report from last week suggested Kia will continue to make more hot version of its cars if the pro_cee'd GT is successful. Unfortunately, that also means we'll have to wait a few more years before getting to sample them.
The next stop for Kia's hot hatch ambitions will surely be the Rio, which is ideally placed in the same market as the Clio RS and Fiesta ST, two of the most famous affordable performance badges. However, our friend Theophilus Chin decided to go a step beyond the Rio, or should we say below.
The Picanto GT hot hatchling is our cool rendering of today. This single photo shows what the smallest Kia could have been had it received the GT treatment. A new honeycomb grille, redesigned lower air intake and different fog lights are just some of the changes made. Larger alloy wheels are also part of package, as are a lowered suspension.
Unfortunately, the Picanto hasn't got a single hot bone in its body right now, potting out at a non-impress 85 PS and 123 Nm of torque from its little 1.2-liter engine. A got Picanto would have to compete with the only other hot A-segment car out there, the Fiat 500 Abarth, which offers up to 160 hp. Fortunately, the Korean automaker has begun work on both a 1.0-liter and a 1.2-liter T-GDi engine. The smaller of the two will offer 120 hp and the larger should have about 140 hp.
The Picanto GT hot hatchling is our cool rendering of today. This single photo shows what the smallest Kia could have been had it received the GT treatment. A new honeycomb grille, redesigned lower air intake and different fog lights are just some of the changes made. Larger alloy wheels are also part of package, as are a lowered suspension.
Unfortunately, the Picanto hasn't got a single hot bone in its body right now, potting out at a non-impress 85 PS and 123 Nm of torque from its little 1.2-liter engine. A got Picanto would have to compete with the only other hot A-segment car out there, the Fiat 500 Abarth, which offers up to 160 hp. Fortunately, the Korean automaker has begun work on both a 1.0-liter and a 1.2-liter T-GDi engine. The smaller of the two will offer 120 hp and the larger should have about 140 hp.
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