Kia Set For Rio Replacement

The all-new 4th generation Rio goes on sale by 1 September in UK and is a major step forward in Kia’s relentless drive to upgrade the style and quality of its entire model range while hammering down fuel consumption and CO2 figures. By 2012, Kia aims to have the newest product line-up on offer.

The arrival of the new Rio, and for the first time as a three-door from early 2012, is a significant milestone towards that ambition.Globally, Kia expects B-segment sales to rise from 9.2 million in 2012 to 14 million in 2014. In Europe, the sales growth over the same period is predicted to go from 4.78 million to 5.22 million.

The new Rio, with its greater emphasis on style and quality, emphatic lead in fuel economy and emissions and wider range of equipment is set to capitalise on that and to build on the success of its predecessor. Kia expects the new Rio to be a top-10 contender in the supermini market.The new Rio, styled under the watchful eye of Chief Design Officer Peter Schreyer, is another modern, European-influenced Kia that will sell as much on its revolutionary good looks and class-leading quality as on the company’s fabled high specification –value equation.It is longer, wider and lower than the model it replaces, with a pronounced coupé-like roofline and a 70mm longer wheelbase.

All of this ensures it appears dynamic and sporty while offering occupants more room than the previous Rio. Careful weight management has ensured the new Rio is not heavier than the outgoing car, despite the increase in size and a significantly higher specification across the range.The exterior design, a blend of dynamism and sophistication, is a complete departure from the more functional approach taken with the last-generation Rio. At the front it features a new interpretation of the Kia family ‘tiger nose’ grille that integrates neatly with the front headlamp units. On the new Rio, the Kia logo now sits above the grille.

Below the grille there is a bold bumper and spoiler.In addition to appealing to consumers’ aesthetic tastes, the new Kia Rio will spearhead the company’s efforts to significantly grow its market share across the globe by offering potential owners industry-leading environmental credentials. Tasked with the difficult job of improving upon the remarkable international sales success of the previous generation model, Kia’s engineers and designers have created a new Rio which combines European finesse with Korean spice to create a form language that also communicates Latin flair, for a truly global appeal. In Nigeria, Kia models are marketed by Dana Motors Limited, which hopefully would be unveiling this sleeker soon.