2024 Kia Picanto to get safety upgrade, new crash-test rating
Australia’s cheapest new car is due to be re-tested by independent safety authorities once upgrades arrive later this year – but stricter criteria could result in a lower star rating than its predecessor.
The updated 2024 Kia Picanto city hatch due in Australia later this year is set to gain more safety technology – and a new round of crash tests under the latest, more stringent criteria.
Higher crash safety standards today – compared to when this generation of Picanto was first tested in 2017 – means the updated model may not match or better the four-star score of the car in showrooms today.
Due to arrive in Australia between October and December 2023, the facelift will introduce a refreshed appearance inspired by Kia’s seven-seat EV9 electric SUV, and a selection of interior tweaks.
Kia Australia has confirmed the Picanto is also due to receive upgrades to its suite of advanced safety features, which is currently limited to autonomous emergency braking (AEB).
MORE: 2024 Kia Picanto facelift photos leaked
In South Korea and Germany, the Picanto is available with a broader suite of driver assists, including lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.
“It won’t just be cosmetic enhancements inside and out, there will be specification enhancements – and safety in particular will be looked at, active safety features,” Kia Australia general manager of product planning Roland Rivero told Drive.
When asked if the new features will be fitted across the range or exclusive to some models, the executive said: “There’ll be added safety features across the range and some specific to GT-Line.”
It remains to be seen if Kia can keep the base price below $20,000 drive-away, with the Picanto one of two new cars on sale to remain under this threshold.
The current base-model Kia Picanto S is priced from $18,890 drive-away with a manual transmission, or $19,890 drive-away with an auto.
Mr Rivero said Kia intends to submit the updated Picanto to independent safety body ANCAP to be re-tested, as the current model’s score – date-stamped 2017 – is due to expire at the end of this year, after a six-year validity period.
However – depending on the extent of the safety upgrades – far more stringent crash-test criteria today means the updated Picanto may not match or surpass the four stars achieved by the current model.
The latest ANCAP criteria introduced this year test how easy it is for passengers to escape cars once submerged, require AEB systems to detect motorcycles, and prevent occupants opening the doors into oncoming cyclists.
The current Kia Picanto lacks a centre airbag – which has been used by many car makers to pass new ANCAP tests measuring movement of the driver towards the passenger in a side-impact crash – as well as any form of lane-keeping assistance or warnings.
If the Kia Picanto was not re-tested, its four-star safety score would expire at the end of this year – and the vehicle would be listed by ANCAP as “unrated”.
Mr Rivero told Drive he believes the lack of a safety rating would not hinder Picanto sales, citing Australia’s top-selling city car, the MG 3 from China, which reported more than 16,000 examples as sold last year (compared to 5000 Picantos) despite never carrying an ANCAP rating.
However, the executive said Kia head office in South Korea is working on safety upgrades in preparation for a re-test.
“I don’t know if it really matters, but I think that as we’ve seen with MG 3 ANCAP [which does not carry an ANCAP score] … [it] wasn’t really a driving force in its success,” Mr Rivero told Drive.
“But nevertheless I think there are plans from HQ [in South Korea] to re-rate it. There’s an engineering team that have to do their jobs. What that [new ANCAP rating] will be, we don’t know.”
The post 2024 Kia Picanto to get safety upgrade, new crash-test rating appeared first on Drive.
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