When Kia’s Rio Arrives In 2018 It Will Feature More Passenger, Cargo Space

Kia has done a major redesign job on its top-selling vehicle, the Rio. The new design, completed by studios in California and Germany, is mature and more refined.

When it was introduced about two decades ago, the Rio was one of Kia’s strongest sellers in the U.S. market. Though it was rather utilitarian, the sturdy subcompact hatchback offered consumers value for the money. Today that tradition is continuing with the fourth-generation Rio, which was unveiled at the Paris International Auto Show last week.

Incremental Space Increases Yield Results

The fact is that not only has the Rio been the automaker’s top United States marque, but it has also been its strongest seller globally. The newly restyled Rio is bigger in most ways than its predecessor. Though the increases were largely incremental, they were still large enough so that buyers will notice more interior passenger space and cargo-hauling capacity.

The Kia Rio sports a new look. Its styling was handled by design studios in California and Germany. The Rio sports a more refined look inside and out. The design team took pains to make the new Rio’s design more mature. It is hardly the economy car that debuted two decades ago and which has gone through three generations in the same mode.

The development team loaded the redesigned Rio with plenty of new technology. For example, the Rio offers an optional seven-inch infotainment touchscreen system. The tech package includes Apple’s CarPlay as standard. Android’s Auto smartphone has been nicely integrated into the package.

New Rio Safety Features

Kia has also emphasized safety as the fourth-generation Rio includes automatic emergency braking and a lane-departure warning system.

The Rio will be available with a variety of powerplants when it goes on sale in Europe in 2017. It will debut as a 2018 model in the U.S. about a year later. The available engines include both small gasoline and diesel motors for Europe. For example, a new 1.0-liter three-cylinder turbocharged engine will be offered. Once it gets to the U.S., there is no word as to whether there will be significant powerplant changes. Currently, an inline 1.6-liter inline four-cylinder engine powers the Rio in the U.S.