Photo: SB-Medien
The 4th generation Kia Rio made its debut in 2017, but you probably didn't know that. The Korean company was unusually conservative with its styling changes.
We feel like both the smalle Picanto and the larger Ceed became more noticeable after their generation switch. But the 2017 Rio just looked like a facelift for its predecessor. Will this facelift change all that?
It's hard to tell at what stage of development this prototype is, but by the look of it, the designers had one hand tied behind their backs. The rear seems to be about the same, and the grille is the only update that stands out here.
A lot is happening in Kia land right now. The company will launch a brand new logo soon, while the Optima sedan is facing a possible name change. Most of the remaining resources have to go towards crossovers, so the Rio continues to play the economy car game.
Its rivals are among the most popular models in Europe, the Ford Fiesta, VW Polo and Renault Clio. The Rio competes not by offering luxury or sportiness, but by being an easy buying decision. There's that legendary Kia warranty, plus it's really cheap.
All the engines that are needed are already available. As diesel plays a smaller part, the 1.2-liter base MPI or the 1-liter turbo will form the bulk of sales, just like they do on rival superminis with small engines. A mild-hybrid model with brake energy recovery and a higher-capacity battery could be the only change for 2020.
With slightly bigger crossovers available as hybrids or EVs, there's no incentive to add such a powertrain to the Rio hatch, nor would this be a practical setup. As a small, cheap hatchback, the Rio isn't relevant in much of the world right now, so we wouldn't be surprised if it got discontinued a few years after this facelift.
It's hard to tell at what stage of development this prototype is, but by the look of it, the designers had one hand tied behind their backs. The rear seems to be about the same, and the grille is the only update that stands out here.
A lot is happening in Kia land right now. The company will launch a brand new logo soon, while the Optima sedan is facing a possible name change. Most of the remaining resources have to go towards crossovers, so the Rio continues to play the economy car game.
Its rivals are among the most popular models in Europe, the Ford Fiesta, VW Polo and Renault Clio. The Rio competes not by offering luxury or sportiness, but by being an easy buying decision. There's that legendary Kia warranty, plus it's really cheap.
All the engines that are needed are already available. As diesel plays a smaller part, the 1.2-liter base MPI or the 1-liter turbo will form the bulk of sales, just like they do on rival superminis with small engines. A mild-hybrid model with brake energy recovery and a higher-capacity battery could be the only change for 2020.
With slightly bigger crossovers available as hybrids or EVs, there's no incentive to add such a powertrain to the Rio hatch, nor would this be a practical setup. As a small, cheap hatchback, the Rio isn't relevant in much of the world right now, so we wouldn't be surprised if it got discontinued a few years after this facelift.
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