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According to Drive, Kia has secured the future of the Kia Picanto (known as the Kia Morning in markets outside of Australia) by planning to upgrade its autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system for this affordable compact car.
In Australia, the Kia Picanto is already equipped with an AEB system to prevent collisions with moving vehicles ahead. This is a mandatory requirement for all cars sold in the country from March 1st, as outlined in the safety regulation named ADR 98/00.
However, the smallest car in Kia’s current lineup lacks AEB functionality for pedestrian detection. Drive reports that this feature, along with AEB for forward-moving vehicles, will become mandatory for all vehicles on Australian roads from August 1st, 2026, as per Regulation 98/01.
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The tightening of regulations around AEB is causing some major automakers to either discontinue older, popular models or incur additional costs to upgrade their AEB systems to comply with the new Australian standards.
Speaking to Drive, Roland Rivero, Head of Product at Kia Australia, confirmed that the Kia Picanto, a size-A car, will not be discontinued due to AEB-related regulations. “Kia has no plans to discontinue the Picanto. We will make sure the car complies with the regulation. All products in the Kia range in Australia are compliant. We are just looking at the paperwork,” said Roland Rivero.
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Kia Australia representatives stated that the Kia Picanto is already equipped with a camera capable of detecting pedestrians. Therefore, complying with the upcoming Regulation 98/01 on autonomous emergency braking by 2026 may simply involve a software update to activate pedestrian protection.
“The Picanto will continue to be part of the Kia range for the next few years,” concluded Roland Rivero.
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