Leaked: Facelifted 2023 Kia Picanto seen ahead of debut; Axia-sized hatch gains aggressive looks

The upcoming 2023 Kia Picanto facelift is only bound to make its world debut later this year, but sleuths have already posted it in full on Korean automotive forum Autospy.

Sold as the Morning there, the Picanto is due for a refresh, having first launched in 2017 and subsequently updated in 2020. Competition in the A-segment hatchback segment is stiff; with Hyundai having the i10 and the much newer Casper, a refreshed visual and specs package are in order.

As such, the Picanto's new face is one that draws inspiration from newer Kias like the Sportage and EV9, especially clear in the droopy LED headlights and a more modern interpretation of the brand's 'Tiger Nose' grille.

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New wheels follow, and round the back there's a new set of taillights (with lightbars), updated bumper, and this particular grey example has an aggresive diffuser – it could be just for the GT Line variant as pictured, but more details will come during its launch.

The interior remains largely unchanged, although there seems to be a digital instrument cluster among other additions.

Under the hood its expected that the same powertrains continue, and depending on market there's a choice of a turbocharged or naturally-aspirated 1.0-litre three cylinder, and a naturally-aspirated 1.25-litre, four-pot engine to round up the offer.

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ADAS features on the Picanto as it is sold in Korean, European, and Australian markets among others are already quite rich, with Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) with vehicle and pedestrian detection, Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist (BCA), Lane Keeping Assist (LKA), Driver Attention Warning (DAW) and Lane Following Assist (LFA).

These are in addition to Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (RCCA), Vehicle Stability Management (VSM), seven airbags and Hill-start Assist Control (HAC), so this update should sharpen them up more than anything.

As it stands, the launch date for the 2023 Kia Picanto facelift is yet to be announced, stay tuned.