Kia Rio gets new look

With the arrival of the Soul, Cerato and Sorento, Kia adopted the new ‘H’ signature grille from chief designer Peter Schreyer. Now it's the Rio's turn.

Kia Australia spokesman, Jonathan Fletcher, says the new-look Rio sedan and hatch are perhaps the most important models to get the signature Schreyer treatment. "They are our volume sellers so the family association is very important," he says. This leaves the Rondo and Carnival as the only two remaining local Kias that do not have the new family face.

Fletcher says an updated Sportage is expected to get some cosmetic improvements in September but it may not get the new family face as the next-generation off-roader is due next-year. "My guess is that they will hold off the new face for the Sportage until the new model," he says.

"The nose design precludes dramatically altering the grille." The new-look Rio is expected to arrive in local showrooms by October at the earliest. Apart from the family grille the Rio gets a revised front bumper with larger air intakes and new foglights.

Equipment has been upgraded and the cabin gets higher-quality materials. Inside, there are new instruments, centre console and upgraded CD-stereo system with Bluetooth connectivity.

The car's green instrument lighting has been changed to red backlighting. On the outside, some models are tipped to get five-spoke alloys and there are Euro-style indicator lights in the mirrors.

Called Kia Pride in South Korea, the current Rio has been on sale here since 2005. Apart from being the brand's local best seller it has also been one of the top-five selling Kia cars globally.

Like the Cerato and Soul, the Rio also gets the new three-spoke steering-wheel design.

Under the bonnet, the 1.4-litre four cylinder is likely to carry over but buyers will get an updated 1.6-litre petrol engine that has been tweaked for better fuel economy and lower emissions.

Prices are expected to remain close to the current car's $14,990 entry point.

The 81kW/235Nm 1.5-litre CRDi turbo-diesel engine available in Europe remains unlikely for Australia.