We just lost another player in the small hatchback segment of the Philippine market.

Upon checking the official Kia Philippines website, we saw one particular nameplate missing in its lineup – and that is the Picanto. We also checked the official price list section for Kia vehicles, and we saw no trace of the hatchback either.

For the longest time, the Picanto served as Kia's smallest vehicle offering. But now that crossovers have become the preferred choice for a daily driver, this could be the end of the line for the Picanto at least here in the country.

Recently, Kia Philippines announced they were looking to launch four new models by 2024. While their nameplates were left unspecified, Kia PH said they plan to launch an EV, a hybrid, and two models with conventional combustion engines.

Upon talking to an anonymous source from Kia, there are still a few units of the Picanto left at some of their dealerships but they are just exhausting the remaining stocks. While a facelifted version of the Picanto is on its way to other markets by the second half of this year, Kia PH currently does not have plans on offering it here.

That said, Kia may be looking to do what its parent brand Hyundai is doing in the Philippine market – ditch its small passenger cars and instead offer high-riding vehicles such as crossover SUVs and MPVs.