Kia’s baby crossover has gained the option of a 48 volt system that ups output from its carry-over 998cc triple by 10kW.

MILD hybrid opportunity is likely to become a feature of Kia’s smallest crossover here.

Detail of a substantial reskin and technology upgrade for the city-minded Stonic has shared today, and though Kia New Zealand has yet to explain what its plans are, it seems clear a move to an electrified powertrain is in the regional plan.

Now sporting the Korean brand’s new ‘Opposites United’ design language as seen on its latest models, the Stonic achieves a more angular look shared with its smallest electric cars, the EV3 and EV4.

The car carries over the 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine and seven-speed direct shirt transmission currently offered, but this engine now optionally offers with a 48V mild-hybrid technology, designated MHEV.

How that first time additional ingredient affects the pricing regime that presently sees the model place from $26,990 in SX, through to $33,200 in GT-Line and $35,200 in GT-Line Plus has yet to be shared by the Auckland distributor.

In the new look car, the 998cc turbocharged unit in its hybrid format boosts power to 84.5kW, a 10kW lift on the output from the fully orthodox version, which appears to continue without change to output. Torque from in either format remains the same, at 172Nm.

Kia quotes a 10.8 second 0-100kmh time for the new DCT-equipped Stonic MHEV, versus 12.1s for the fully petrol. The brand also provisions the car with a manual box, but that is not provisioned to NZ.

Fuel consumption hasn’t been detailed in a global spec sheet shared today, but the 48V system is said to cut a 4-5 grams of CO2 per kilometre, brining this down to as low as 120g/km.

The new look provisions all the latest ingredients such as the ‘Star Map’ lighting signatures and upright motifs. New 16 and 17 inch wheels, fresh bumpers, a redesigned tailgate, and new colours are expected.

‘Base Line’ and ‘GT-Line’ appearance packages are designated in the release.

The dashboard has dual 12.3-inch displays incorporate the digital instruments and a touchscreen infotainment unit, though some believe it isn’t running Kia’s latest user interface.

The car is equipped with Kia Connect services which bring cloud-based services, real-time vehicle diagnostics and remote vehicle integration via the Kia app. With that, the car is compatible with a Digital Key. Whether this technology reaches NZ is not yet clear.

As in the Niro and Sportage, the model has ‘Multimode Touch Display’ touch-capacitive switches for climate control and media adjustment. It also achieves a new style of steering wheel and gearshift, along with a revised centre console and USB-C fast charging ports. Wireless smartphone charging and ambient interior lighting seem also set to provision.

Safety and assistance technology has also seen a boost, with the car stepping up to a semi-autonomous Highway Driving Assist, which combines adaptive cruise and lane centring functions while also integrating navigation data to adjust speeds for corners.