KIA Has Axed the Picanto in Pakistan After Just 6 Years of its Launch
Multiple KIA dealerships have confirmed that bookings for the locally assembled hatchback have been closed, while the model has also disappeared from the company's official website.
KIA Pakistan has axed its only hatchback offering in Pakistan, the Picanto, after just six years of its launch in the country. KIA Pakistan has not officially announced it yet, but Motornama independently verified the development with multiple KIA dealerships in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, all of which confirmed that bookings have been closed, and no further units are being allocated.
The development also appears to be reflected on KIA Pakistan’s official website, where the Picanto has been removed from the current model lineup. The removal was first reported by ProPakistani. As we mentioned above, multiple showrooms across Islamabad and Pakistan are also refusing to take new orders for Picanto. KIA’s hatchback was introduced in the Pakistani market in 2019, and it was being manufactured locally. It was priced against other hatchbacks like Suzuki Cultus and Suzuki Wagon R. The Picanto also competed with imported Japanese hatchbacks such as the Nissan Dayz and Daihatsu Mira, while Suzuki Alto remained its strongest rival in the entry-level segment.
KIA Picanto received generally positive reviews at its launch, and it was lauded as a very good hatchback by auto experts across Pakistan when it came out; however, many buyers later complained about poor resale and spare part availability problems. These reasons led to it losing ground against its competition, especially Suzuki Alto and Suzuki Cultus, which benefit from perks like cheaper maintenance, easy spare availability, and quick resale. The hatchback segment has become increasingly price-sensitive in recent years, with locally assembled and imported alternatives making it difficult for higher-priced models to gain significant market share.
While KIA Pakistan has not announced a replacement, the discontinuation has led to speculation that the company could introduce the third-generation Picanto in the future. It has upgraded nearly all of its lineup in the country to match their global variants, with the most recent launch of the KIA Sportage L facelift and KIA Sorento PHEV.
Earlier, KIA kept the same strategy as KIA Carnival as well. The only models still in older generations include the KIA Picanto and KIA Stonic. Whether the Picanto disappears permanently or returns in a new generation remains to be seen. For now, dealerships have stopped accepting bookings, effectively bringing an end to the current model’s six-year run in Pakistan.
