Kia to Unveil Refreshed 2012 Soul Alongside New Rio Sedan in New York

Kia will unveil an updated version of its popular Soul hatchback at next week’s New York International Auto Show. The updated 2012 Soul (2010 model pictured) will debut alongside Kia’s all-new 2012 Rio sedan.

Although Kia is keeping most of the Soul’s changes a secret, we know the 2012 model will arrive with new LED projector headlights that are “slightly bulged giving the overall shape of the Soul a smoother, more streamlined silhouette.”

But most of the changes to the 2012 Soul will focus on the car’s drivetrain. Kia says the 2012 Soul will feature increased power and dramatically improved fuel economy, which should reach 35mpg on the highway.

Although we don’t have word on what engines might power the 2012 Soul, Kia will replace the car’s four-speed automatic and five-speed manual gearboxes with six-speed units.

[Source: Automotive News]

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Kia Considering Rio Hot-Hatch to Spice Up Brand Image

Kia‘s new designs are helping brand the Korean automaker in a more positive light, particularly here in North America with the stylish new Optima. But in other parts of the world mid-size sedan’s don’t hold the same cache, nor do they sell all that well, so Kia is looking at alternative ways to create a boost in brand image.

In a recent interview, Kia product boss Benny Oeyen commented on three such methods, including a hot hatch, convertible or coupe. While the coupe idea, along the lines of the Hyundai Genesis Coupe, may seem like the obvious choice, it’s the hot hatch the is the most likely. The reason for this is the importance of small hatchbacks in other parts of the world, like in Europe were sub-compact models, like Kia’s new 2012 Rio, make up the majority of sales for automakers.

A Rio hot-hatch is also the easiest to bring to market, as it would be based on the existing new car. Plus, it helps put the brand focus exactly where Kia wants it to be.

Exactly what a juiced-up Rio might bring to the table is unclear, with standard models in Europe getting 1.4-liter gasoline and diesel engines as well as a tiny 1.25-liter gas engine. One possibility is the 138-hp 1.6-liter 4-cylinder that’s expected to come standard in the North American model, although for a ‘hot hatch’ we’d like to see more.

[Source: Autocar]

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Geneva 2011: 2012 Kia Rio EcoDynamics will be UK's Lowest Emission Car

It's a grim day for all hybrid-electric cars out there as Kia has proven with the all-new 2012 Kia Rio that sipping fuel no longer requires swallowing a hefty "hybrid" premium price tag beforehand.

Full article and more images after the jump!

That is the case for the Rio "EcoDynamics" ,powered by an all-new 1.1-liter three-cylinder CRDi diesel engine that, according to Kia, will make it the greenest car on the road and will achieve an impressive 88 miles per gallon (73 U.S. MPG). The tiny engine produces 69 bhp, but who cares about horsepower here? The magic number, as inscribed on the showcar in the pictures, is 85. Precisely, 85g/km of CO2 emission output, thereby "out-cleaning" the Smart fortwo (86g/km of CO2), the current title-holder of the cleanest car in the U.K., and certainly all hybrid vehicles like the Toyota Prius (89g/km of CO2).

The 3-cylinder diesel Rio EcoDynamics achieves its amazing emissions figures with the help of Kia’s ISG stop start system. The car will also be available with 1.4- and 2-litre petrol engines as well as a 1.4-litre diesel.

We'll have more information on the 2012 Kia Rio later in the day. We just thought you might be as impressed as we were with the Rio EcoDynamics when we read the specs of this beauty.




[Source: Kia]

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More Images of the 2012 Kia Rio Surface, First Interior Shot! [UPDATED]

UPDATE: New images added after the jump.

We're mere hours away from the opening of the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, and the anticipation for some of the scheduled debuts there is growing by the minute. Kia hopes to make a big splash at the annual show with the world debut of the all-new 2012 Kia Rio hatchback, as well as the European premiere of the new Kia Picanto.

Check out Kia's countdown page with live video streaming of the company's scheduled press conference at Geneva later today HERE.

Until then, enjoy the latest images of the new Rio, straight from the folks at Kia, after the jump! Have a say about the first interior shots at the comments section!

Click here for our original post on the 2012 Kia Rio

More images after the jump!

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2012 Kia Rio Hatchback Spotted in the Wild!

Today, we bring you the first image of the all-new Kia Rio out roaming in public roads, courtesy of our friends over at The Korean Car Blog. Days away from its scheduled worldwide debut at the Geneva Motor Show, the new Rio was spotted during a commercial filming in South Korea recently.

[Source: The Korean Car Blog]

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2012 Kia Rio Unveiled Ahead of Geneva Debut

Kia's product assault continues with the presentation of the all-new Rio subcompact, which will receive its world premiere together with the new Picanto at the forthcoming Geneva Motor Show in the beginning of March.

The latest car to be revealed by Kia boasts a far slicker exterior design than the current Rio bringing it in line with the rest of South Korean company's passenger model range. There are no photos of the interior, but Kia says its newcomer "will deliver a high level of quality previously associated with larger models" along with a wider selection of trim options.

The Korean firm's Ford Fiesta-sized vehicle features a wheelbase extended by 70 mm (to 2,570 mm) compared to the outgoing Rio thus promising to offer improved passenger space together with an increased cargo capacity to 292 liters for the hatchback body style. Exterior dimensions changes include: +55 mm (overall length), -15 mm (height) and +25 mm (overall width).

In Europe, the firm's B-Segment contender will be offered with a comprehensive range of petrol and diesel engines including a 1.1-liter diesel unit delivering 70-horsepower and CO2 emissions from as low as 85 g/km.

But the big surprise is the announcement of an all-new 1.2-liter Turbo Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) that will be available from 2012, and which will offer the Koreans a significant advantage over its Japanese rivals.

Soon-Nam Lee, Director of Overseas Marketing for Kia, commented: “This new model is a big step forward. The Rio has always been successful, and with this new incarnation we have a car that people will want to buy for its looks.”

The new Rio will go on sale in Europe as a 5-door model this fall, with a 3-door to be introduced into the range in early 2012. Pricing and full range details will be announced nearer the on-sale date.

[Source: Kia]

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2012 Kia Rio (UB): New Spy Shots! Interior Revealed!

For full details and more spy shots of the 2012 Kia Rio, click the link below.

2012 Kia Rio (UB) Spied For The First Time


READ MORE for 7 more spy shots, including the first ever ones of the interior!

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Top Gear USA's Reasonably Priced Car is...the Kia Rio? [Jalopnik.com]

Matt Hardigree (Jalopnik) - The Americanized version of Top Gear is carrying over the "Star In A Reasonably-Priced Car" segment as we previously reported, and we've just learned from our source that the star car in question is the Kia Rio. Again.

"Star in a reasonably-priced car," the segment the BBC's hit automotive show Top Gear uses to be topically relevant to a non-automotive audience, is when they put ordinary celebrities through the Top Gear Test Track to test their skill or, in the case of Tom Cruise, their willingness to kill themselves in a cheap car. For the U.K. version the car's been a Suzuki Liana, Chevrolet Lacetti, and Kia Cee'd...[READ MORE AT THE LINK BELOW]

[Source: Jalopnik]

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2012 Kia Rio (UB) Spied For The First Time

Kia has been on a great momentum lately with a tidal wave of new releases, and it looks like the transformation of the line-up continues on course with the all-new Rio, spied today for the first time. Code-named "UB", the upcoming redesign of the Rio subcompact ostensibly carries on the chiseled family look of recent Kia's as it is yet another work of Peter Schreyer.

READ MORE for the full article and 15 MORE images of the next Rio test mule!

The exterior of the next-generation Rio is almost a dead-ringer to the larger K5/Optima, similar to how the new Accent casts off the impression as a miniaturized version of the Sonata. We can definitely see the influence from the K5/Optima in the front fascia of the new Rio, with familiar sights like the corporate "tiger-nose" grille and the set of sharp, stretched headlights.

The side profile is characterized by front fender vents (also a cue from the K5/Optima) and a rather unique C-pillar design. The rear fascia is mainly clad in camo for now, but from what we can see, it is definitely reminiscent of the Forte's. The black machined finish alloy wheels, meanwhile, look directly lifted off those from the K5/Optima, except the four-lug design that confirms its Rio identity.

How about powertrain technology? The new Rio shares platforms with the new Hyundai Accent. The Accent is currently available in two four-cylinder gasoline powertrains - a 107 horsepower 1.4-liter and a 126 horsepower 1.6-liter.

More details about the next generation Rio, as well as other Kia plans for 2011, will be revealed at the forth-coming Paris Auto Show in October. Production of the new Rio is rumored to start in the first half of 2011.

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