New Kia Rio to be five-door only

The new Kia Rio has been revealed in design renderings released by Kia, and is expected to be a five-door-only model upon launch.

The Rio has now been revealed. Read about it here.

Kia’s answer to the Ford Fiesta supermini gets Kia’s latest 'face', with an updated version of its signature ‘Tiger nose’ grille, along with deep front air intakes and upswept, angular headlights.

At the rear, angular tail-light clusters house intricate LED designs and sporting touches, including a subtle black spoiler, also feature. It’s unlikely, however, that the large alloys pictured will be carried over to the production model, which will be shown at the Paris motor show next month.

Despite the raked roofline and thick, Audi-like C-pillar, the Rio pictured is a five-door model, although the door handles have not been included in one of the sketches. The Rio is very likely to only be offered in five-door format, as sales lean heavily towards the five-door body style, instead of three doors; 88% of Rios sold were five-door cars between July 2015 and July 2016. 

The upcoming new Kia Picanto has also only ever been photographed in five-door format, suggesting that the industry trend for dropping small three-door cars may continue on the three-door versions of the Picanto and Rio. 

Inside, the new Rio's dashboard is uncluttered, with sweeping lines and a mix of pale and dark materials. Metallic trim adorns the centre console and highlights other interior pieces.

Exterior details are mirrored on the inside; the air-con vents follow the same angular design as that of the tail-lights, as do sculpted dashboard panels. A large, central touchscreen dominates the dash, although the sketch reveals little in the way of detail.

Engines for the new model are yet to be announced, but updated versions of the 1.25 and 1.4-litre petrol engines, as well as a 1.1-litre diesel engine are likely to be used. New to the range will be a 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine, as used in the Kia C'eed. That engine is also likely to make it into the Picanto.

Trims will almost certainly follow the 1, 2, 3 and 4 pattern currently used by Kia across its line-up, with the possibility of a high-spec, sportily styled GT Line trim level at the top. 

The Kia Rio GT, Kia's answer to the Ford Fiesta ST, will also appear in the Rio lineup in the future. A 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine, revealed by Kia last year, is tipped to power the hot hatch. 

Read more about Kia's raft of hot upcoming models here

The text accompanying the images of the Rio also gives little away, aside from saying the front overhang and wheelbase will be longer than those of its predecessor. Pricing is very likely to increase over the current-generation five-door Rio's £10,945 price tag; an entry-level price of nearer £11,500 is expected.