Kia’s fourth generation Rio was launched recently by Cars International Ltd general manager Ryan Buttigieg. At the launch, Buttigieg said the Rio boasts a bold and distinctive personality, bringing the latest model into line with the rest of Kia’s strinking design-led range.
The Rio’s launch is seen as a very important step for Cars International, Kia’s local distributors. “Segment B is the largest car sales segment for Malta with over 40 per cent of annual new vehicle sales. We are therefore very eager to be introducing yet another fantastic Kia to the public which we are sure will turn heads and impress,” Buttigieg said.
The new model represents a complete departure from its predecessor and fits perfectly into the revitalised family of Kia products. It has a bold and distinctive personality, bringing the latest B-segment model into line with the rest of Kia’s modern, design-led product range.
In addition to appealing to consumers’ aesthetic tastes, the new Kia Rio will lead the company’s efforts to significantly grow its market share across the world by offering industry-leading environmental improvements and low running costs.
CO2 emissions for the model range start at just 85 g/km. This impressive figure places the most environmentally-friendly version of Kia’s new model, the Rio Eco Dynamics, ahead of all other B-segment vehicles currently on sale in Europe.
“The new Kia Rio is a revolution, not an evolution from its predecessor. Rio has always been a commercial success, and with this new incarnation we have an attractive car with a feeling of sportiness – a car that people will want to buy for its looks, as well as its environmental credentials,” Benny Oeyen, vice-president, Marketing and Product Planning, Kia Motors Europe, said.
Since its 2005 launch, global sales of the third-generation Rio have totalled over 860,000 units. It was Kia’s third best-selling vehicle in overseas markets during 2010 with sales of more than 219,000 units.
The new model is longer, wider and lower, and features a wheelbase extended by 70 mm – greatly enhancing passenger space and cargo capacity. With an overall height of 1,455 mm, new Rio has one of the lowest rooflines in Kia’s European product range, emphasising its purposeful stance.
Marketed for the first time in Europe with a choice of five- and three-door bodystyles, the new Rio is set to completely redefine its position in one of the most competitive sectors.
Kia’s market research predicts that global demand for B-segment cars is going to grow significantly over the next two years as consumers increasingly shift to more economical, more fuel-efficient cars – downsizing to offset the continuous rise in fuel prices. Analysts forecast that global demand for B-segment cars will climb to 9.2 million units in 2012 and to 14 million units by 2014.
With two bodystyles for Rio, plus the already-popular Soul and Venga B-segment models, Kia is confident of capturing an even larger share of the increasingly popular compact car market.
To reduce fuel consumption and help achieve class-leading emissions, Kia engineers have carried out an extensive programme to shed weight across a broad range of components. As a result, new Rio is no heavier than the car it replaces – even though it is a significantly larger car than the third-generation model with extra equipment and offers additional options and features.
The five-door version was the first variant to go on sale in Europe during the third quarter of 2011, with the all-new three-door model joining Kia’s line-up in the first quarter of 2012. Both versions will be made exclusively at Kia’s Sohari plant in Korea.
With the introduction of new Rio, the Kia product portfolio has just taken the next important step towards becoming a family of vehicles which has an attractive and coherent brand style, while still managing to retain a very individual character.
The Rio 1.2LX 5 Door will sell at a showroom price of €14,850. The diesel will cost €2,000 more.