It remains at four generations
The Kia Rio can no longer be ordered. The car will not have a direct successor and although that is all entirely in line with expectations, it still hurts a bit. The Rio had also been with us for many years. In almost a quarter of a century he changed from a generous price packer to a tough pioneer, only to slowly fade into the background as a kind of wallflower in recent years.
After the smallest A segment, the B segment is now also finding it increasingly difficult. A Volkswagen Polo is so expensive that in the Netherlands it is actually only interesting for lease drivers, Ford has already canceled the Fiesta and we rarely see the Hyundai i20 driving despite its trendy appearance and good driving characteristics. Well, there are exceptions. Peugeot and Opel are still doing good business with the 208 and the Corsa and the Toyota Yaris is also running quite fast, but things are no longer what they used to be in this once so important class.
Of course, Kia also knows this, and so the brand announced at the beginning of this year that the Kia Rio would disappear and will not have a direct successor. This doesn’t come as a complete surprise. The fourth generation of the Rio was a good car, but never a very striking one and apparently did not distinguish itself sufficiently to ensure really serious sales numbers. Moreover, this model has been with us since 2016 and therefore hardly stands out not only in the overall car landscape, but also among the EV6s and Sportages in the Kia showroom.
The very first Kia Rio
That was different at the very first Rio. Looking back, it is impossible to call this ‘half station wagon’ exciting, but in 1999 the Kia Rio was a huge step forward for Kia. With its sharp headlights and sleek yet rounded carriage, it looked downright modern at the time. Moreover, the car was a lot more ‘European’ in shape than many other Koreans of that time, which we noticed in the first driving test. The first Rio offered an almost C-segment-worthy amount of space for only 24,000 guilders and the Dutch were happy about that. The car immediately generated significant sales figures for Kia, with the sedan version also available in our country naturally playing a smaller role.
From 2 to 3
The second edition of the Rio may not be as clear on your mind as the first. This was much more of a traditional compact hatchback, without the extra side window, extra length and large luggage compartment. This version was also available as a sedan, which was also quite unusual for a B-segment car in 2005. The four-door version was removed from the Western European range with the arrival of the third generation in 2011, but the car was given an enormous amount of self-confidence in return. The undersigned still remembers well how this little Kia caused a real shock wave in this segment: it was not only cheaper, but also simply better than many cars from established brands. The third Rio still looks fresh and modern to this day and in fact served as a blueprint for edition four, although it does without the strong wedge shape of its predecessor. The third generation Rio would always remain the only one available as a three-door, because with the fourth it disappeared from the scene again.
The third Kia Rio made mincemeat of its competitors in this multi-test
It becomes quiet
And now… now it’s becoming quiet around the Rio. The compact hatchback is still on the Kia Netherlands site, but can no longer be assembled and is at most still available from stock. The somewhat SUV-like Stonic is an alternative, although that car is no longer the youngest. According to Kia, a new B-segmenter is certainly not excluded, but not in the short term and in fully electric form. Anyone who, like us, is a little sad about this can console themselves with the thought that history is in fact repeating itself. When the first Rio took office, it marked the end of the smaller and cheaper Pride. There was no immediate alternative for that car either, but looking back we can safely say that despite that shortcoming, Kia turned out completely fine.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl