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Kia Releases First Sketches of New Rio

Kia Rio sketchesKia Rio sketchesKia Rio sketches
It seems that Kia has a lot of cards up it’s sleeve, as not long after the Korean company showed the new Picanto city car last week and the KV7 Concept just a few days ago in Detroit, today it published three design sketched on the next Rio.

The new Korean supermini will compete with models like the Ford Fiesta, Opel Corsa and VW Polo in the global B-segment range. The sketches reveal a bold design that the company says will target "progressive, energetic consumers who want a stand-out design". The coupe-ish lines give the Rio a swept-back profile that should appeal to younger customers.

“Downsizing is becoming more and more of a trend these days and a B-segment car as attractive as all-new Rio, with its driver-oriented cabin and interior trim options, will no doubt help consumers to be more comfortable making that switch.  New Rio is the ‘next big step’ in Kia’s design revolution and we anticipate this model becoming even more popular than the current vehicle,” according to Soon-Nam Lee, Director of Overseas Marketing, Kia Motors Corporation.

According to the press release, the model will be lower, longer and wider than the current model. It should also accommodate higher levels of interior quality, usually found in more expensive models.

So when will we see the new Rio? Well, the 2011 Kia Rio will premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in March, which is also when we'll have complete details of this newcomer. A lot is riding on the success of the design, as the Kia Rio was the company’s third best-selling vehicle in overseas markets in 2010, with more than 205,000 units sold worldwide.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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