2012 Kia Rio 5-door hatchback images released ahead of Geneva Auto Show debut!
Kia released first official images of its all-new Rio 5-door hatchback, which is scheduled to make its official premiere at the Geneva Auto Show. The 5-door Rio hatch will be put on display along Kia Picanto 2012 – model year and Kia Optima hybrid, which will both make their official European premieres at the event.
Kia has confirmed that the 2012 Rio will be available as a three-door or five-door hatchback. The fast-growing Korean carmaker revealed it plans to launch 5-door Rio hatchback first, while 3-door Rio will follow in 2012.
As seen on the official images, the new Rio 5-door features bolder and more sculpted exterior styling. The all-new Rio has its own interpretation of Kia’s signature grille, integrated with the headlamps to give a new twist on the Kia family look. In profile, the body to glass ratio and its strong wedge form give new Rio a dynamic stance.
Kia is confident that styling changes will help the 2012 Rio stand out in the crowded B-segment, currently dominated in Europe by cars such as the VW Polo, Ford Fiesta and Fiat Punto.
Compared to the outgoing Rio, the new model has grown in size. It is 55mm longer, 15mm lower, and 25mm wider than its predecessor. It rides on a 2.570mm wheel-base, which is 70mm longer than with the previous model. Thanks to longer wheelbase, the 2012 Kia Rio 5-door now offers more passenger room, as well as more cargo space (292 liters)
Kia revealed today that the 2012 Rio will have six new fuel-efficient engines with CO2 emissions as low as 85 g/km engines – from a 1.1L diesel engine packing 70 horsepower (available in Europe), up to a 1.6L GDI gasoline engine generating 140 horsepower (available in North America).
The 2012 Kia Rio will also be available with the automaker’s all-new, high-performance 1.2L GDI Turbo engine, which was developed in conjunction with Hyundai Motor Company. The 1.2L Gasoline Direct Injection Turbo engine will be available the European market starting from 2012.
The all-new Kia Rio will be officially unveiled at the Geneva International Motor Show on Tuesday, March 1, 2011 at 16.15 CET. Stay tuned for more information and images!
Kia Rio 5-door hatchback image gallery:
February 11th, 2011 at 6:37 pm
Beautiful car !!!!! love it. will definitely do well in Canada with the ever rising gas prices.
February 11th, 2011 at 7:18 pm
Indeed, Kia made another awesome car. the 2012 Rio looks beautiful and its engine lineup seems very attractive, especially the all-new 1,2L GDI Turbo engine. Looking forward to more detail…
February 11th, 2011 at 7:47 pm
I agree that it will do well in Canada. The look is much more integrated than the Fiesta or Mazda 2. More power, quieter inside, better fuel economy, more room, no doubt better pricing, how can it fail
February 11th, 2011 at 8:25 pm
Looks great but I still don’t expect the hatchback to sell very well.
February 11th, 2011 at 8:32 pm
The 5-door hatch will probably sell better in Europe, while Kia Rio sedan will gain more sales in the States and Canada.
February 11th, 2011 at 9:21 pm
WOW!!! Just wow!
February 11th, 2011 at 10:04 pm
bingo!
February 11th, 2011 at 10:23 pm
Nice engine choices and nice design. Squarehole, you were right. The sedan is last.
February 12th, 2011 at 12:15 am
Umm, a 3, 4, and 5 door will be at Geneva…official Kia info.
February 12th, 2011 at 1:26 am
Another winner from Kia.
February 12th, 2011 at 1:31 am
Greg, 4 door in geneva ?????
February 12th, 2011 at 4:19 am
Nice, can’t wait to see the 3 door!
February 12th, 2011 at 4:42 am
Read the Euro press release.
February 12th, 2011 at 1:28 pm
This Rio is Not Allowed
By Big Brother- Hyundai
Youll keep the current rio and have it soldier on unil 2017.
Im just joking jtz.
lol
No really, this is exactly what KIA needs. This will definately sell more than Accent. As it should.
February 12th, 2011 at 1:31 pm
I read the Euro press release. It said nothing about the entire Rio series being unveiled there. The 5 door goes on sale in September and three door will be available early 2012. Not even mentioning the sedan. I also thought you said the Rio sedan was coming to NY auto show. Like you said the Cadenza was supposed to be at Chicago?
February 12th, 2011 at 1:33 pm
I read the Euro press release. It said nothing about the entire Rio series being unveiled there. The 5 door goes on sale in September and three door will be available early 2012. Not even mentioning the sedan. I also thought you said the Rio sedan was coming to NY auto show. Like you said the Cadenza was supposed to be at Chicago? I read 7 articles some mentions the sedan and some does not. The articles make it seem the Rio sedan will be last to arrive.
February 12th, 2011 at 1:39 pm
I see you have jokes Smoke. Lol this will be ready to that Fiesta, Yaris and Fit. So come on rivals bring it on. Who would have known when the 2001 Cinco arrived it would evolve into this and was expected to have quality better than the VW Polo? Who would have known?
February 12th, 2011 at 4:13 pm
“Kia Motors Corporation has revealed the first official photos of the forthcoming next generation Kia Rio, which boasts a bold and distinctive personality, bringing the newcomer in line with the rest of Kia’s striking design-led model range.
Tasked with the difficult job of improving upon the remarkable international sales success of the previous generation model, the new Kia Rio will be available in three body styles (with 3-, 4- or 5-doors, depending on market), and has been designed to appeal to customers all around the world.”
February 12th, 2011 at 4:50 pm
Canada – the Rondo outsold the Rio in January, the 4th best selling Kia vehicle.
February 12th, 2011 at 5:04 pm
Maybe it wasn’t the Euro release…it was the one conwelpic found (thank you). I have a strange feeling that if for some reason Kia were to sell the 3 door version in the states, it would only be a special edition….
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In regards to the Cadenza. I called the Kia customer service line 3 times (to make sure I was getting accurate info), and the reps all said the Cadenza was expected in the late 3rd or early 4th quarter of this year. In this case, the only other show it could be at would be New York. Looks like they will have a packed NY show, with the Rio, Cadenza, and Soul facelift….speaking of soul facelift, why haven’t there been spy pictures on this blog yet?
February 12th, 2011 at 6:37 pm
This blog has missed a lot. The new Kia-world is GOOGLE.
February 12th, 2011 at 6:39 pm
This is a pretty nice looking vehicle! The headlights remind me of the Sportage EX. I wonder if the LEDs will be the Daytime Running Lights like on the Sportage? I hope so! Kia- get on the ball about DRLs! Insurance companies offer a discount for this! Canada requires them. Why can’t we get them (even as a dealer installed/ programmed option) in the USA (excluding the Sportage EX)?!
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I know I’m beating the dead horse again, but we need a diesel in the USA too. One engine (2.0L gas equivalent) could go in the Forte and Soul (and Elantra for Hyundai) or another one (2.4L gas equivalent) could go in the Forte, Optima, Sportage and the Sorento (and the Hyundai sibling models). Or one for the Sedona, Sorento and Cadenza… Just some ideas.
February 12th, 2011 at 7:47 pm
Where’s the revolutionary 74 mpg Kia Ray concept car noe ??
February 12th, 2011 at 9:24 pm
Kia won’t waste time and money on diesels here in the U.S. if they don’t think they’ll get return on investment. You want a small diesel but ask Joe Sixpack in remote Iowa what he wants. He won’t want it. He wants a large, butt-ugly pick-em-up truck that wastes ghastly. Just the truth.
February 12th, 2011 at 10:08 pm
All I have to say is this car looks great, much better than the competition in this segment. no interior shots yet but heard its way above the current one!
February 12th, 2011 at 11:07 pm
I have renderings of the 3 door on my site. I did the front 3/4 and another artist did the rear 3/4 view.
February 13th, 2011 at 5:47 am
Screw diesels. Bring the Ray sedan to production. Or the Forte LPI. Or the Pop. Need some Korean electric or Hybrids. VW is bringing out a hybrid Jetta. Meaning the I-Flow and Ray need to arrive to attack VW. Hyundai needs to focus more on hybrids instead of just 5.0 V8s too. The Koreans need a volt rival too. Don’t y’all dare late VW take y’all.you guys beat ford globally now tackle VW. The Elantra is ready for the Focus and the Jetta. I like that it’s sort of like the Forte’s back up. I like how the Elantra did not arrive the time the Forte arrived. It kept the Korean C segment competition hyped. Unlike the 300 and Charger. So in two years Chrysler’s E segment cars will fall weak in sells because of aging old together. I like how a new Hyundai doesn’t mean a new Kia right away. Or a new Kia doesn’t mean a new Hyundai in that same segmen right away….. Unlike the next Focus and CX-5.
February 13th, 2011 at 11:46 pm
Correction I mean unlike the next Escape and CX-5. When the Forte arrived, did the Elantra arrive right away? When the Sonata arrived did the Optima arrive right away? when the Tucson arrived did the Sportage arrive right away. Same for the Veracruz that arrived way before the Borrego. When the Sante Fe arrived did the Sorento arrive right way. H to the no. Unlike Ford, Mazda and Lincon. Also sure all the hype is on the Durango and the Cherokee give it a year and a half and lets see the hype then all those American cars arrive with new models right away and having nothing for back up. Same for the Terverse and Enclave that’s why GM’s midsize CUVs lost their hype to the Cherokee and next Explorer. Think about it, the Veloster arrives before the 3 door Rio right? The accent arrives before the Rio right? I also like how Hyundai alternates between models. For example, sometimes a Kia will arrive first or a Hyundai first. I also like how Hyundai allows Kia to make have their own concepts. For example, take the Terrain and Equinox, obviously, they came from the same concept. The only thing the Sportage and Tucson share are platforms. Totally differnent appearances and interiors. Unlike the LaCross and Cruze’s interior. Of course the Cruze has one of the best looking interiors, because it came from a E segment sedan. Does the Forte’s interior look like the K7′s? Does the Soul’s interior look like the Sorento’s? Does the Picanto’s interior look like the Optima’s? Nope. Kia actually work on each Kia from the inside out without clicking and pasting the dashboards. That’s hard to do. Does the Ray’s interior look like a click in paste off the Kee’s? Does the Soulster’s Interior look like the Soul’s? Does the Sportage’s interior look like the Koup’s? Each Kia has a different interior from the Rio, to the Borrego to the Sorento to the K7 to the K5 to the Forte to the Soul and the cee’d. The only thing each Kia shares in common is the red interior lighting that was introduced from the 2007 Kia KUE . Whatever CEO Hyundai and Kia has is a good one!!! I ain’t seen nothing like it. No hyundai looks like no Kia and no Kia looks like a Hyundai inside or out. That is what I call strategy.
February 14th, 2011 at 6:08 am
A new thought came to mind. After seeing the rendering of the three door, how do we know for sure the three door will look like the 5 door? Think about it. All three Fortes look different in the rear. The Soul and Soul’ster looks different. The Venga and Rio 5 door even looks different. Heck even that sedan with 4 lugnuts looks different. Korean designers don’t design like Mazda 3 and 2 designers. No way do I believe that rendering is true. There was another false rendering before the new Sportage was revealed, someone thought the Sportage would look like the Sorento in the face. Heck even the Koup and sedan have different faces. The only thing the Koup and sedan have in common are the headlights. So for me to think the three door Rio will look like a smaller 5 door is not Kia not Kia at all. The Venga is a totally different design from the Rio too. The worst design was the Forte5 that was a rush job I could tell. Unlike the next cee’d which I expect it to be a head turner. I also think Optima coupe will look different unlike the Altima coupe that looks like a women’s ride. I think the Optima coupe will look very Kee’ish….. And yet not. I think the true Kee design is the RWD K9 and will be released after every Kia in the line up is in production. Oh yeah check out my commets on autoblog on this new Rio.
February 15th, 2011 at 8:28 am
That’s look good car to buy, when this car will appear in Indonesia?
February 15th, 2011 at 4:53 pm
In case you guys haven’t noticed, I think Kia is abandoning their alpha-numeric naming scheme. The New Morning and new Rio both have regular names. Also, I was on the Korean site, and found some really interesting information in regards to the Cadenza. They changed the grille, some of the wheel options, and some slight changes to the interior. My biggest surprise was when I looked at the engine options. All three of the previous engine options, the 2.4L non-GDI, 2.7L, and 3.5L are GONE. In their place there is a 3.0L (not a typo, 3.0L) V6 Lambda GDI engine that puts out 270 HP and 228 lb-ft of Torque; a 2.4L GDI Theta engine is also available. I am anticipating these will be the engines that go into the Cadenza when it makes its USA debut at the New York Auto Show, and goes on sale in 4th Quarter.
February 15th, 2011 at 4:58 pm
They also added an electric parking brake to the Cadenza.
February 15th, 2011 at 5:07 pm
Actually, the 3.0L is in the Theta family. My guess is that Kia made the change to put the engine options in line with the new Azera. But 33 MPG for a V6 is pretty good. I would anticipate the 3.0L being available on the 2012 Sorento.
February 16th, 2011 at 2:58 am
we should all notify KIA that we want the 3 door RIO in the US. I know i do. & they’ve replied to me on twitter that they’re listening!! BTW their twitter accts are @Kia_Motors & @KiaTeam (the latter is the US division)
February 22nd, 2011 at 11:27 pm
A new thought just came to mind. Do you guys think the interior of the hatch and sedan will look alike or different?
March 7th, 2011 at 3:05 am
By what I’ve seen in spy photos its looks like the interior in both is real close, the hatch back btw looks awesome from all angles!
March 9th, 2011 at 5:38 pm
Indeed, this new hatchback Rio design does look great from all angles, I’m officially interested in one of my own!
April 10th, 2011 at 8:21 pm
I think this looks great. Yes, definitely another winner for KIA. Stunning!!!!!
April 12th, 2011 at 5:14 am
THE HATCHBACK WILL BE A BOON TO GOLFERS, AND THERE ARE A LOT OF GOLFERS.
April 25th, 2011 at 7:04 pm
Nice copy of the seat ibiza, but anyways, nice to have it in the state, beautiful job Kia
August 24th, 2011 at 5:33 pm
I’ll miss the style of the 2011 Rio5. The new ones look like everything else being made. Heck, I think my 2002 Rio Cinco is still one of the nicest-looking cars on the road, so that will tell you where I’m coming from. It’s also the most comfortable car I’ve ever sat in, and I have a ruptured disc in my back. I’ll give the 2012 a look next year when my 10 year warranty runs out next year, though, as I like the new engine and 6 speed auto combo, but it’s mostly whether it fits me or not. The 2002 fits me perfectly. I hope we get the 3 door in the USA, but I don’t expect we will. Just to get any hatchback here is to be cheered, so I’ll settle for that if necessary.