FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW: Kia Rio three-door
Three-door Kia Rio hatches, and the Korean price buster is due in Australia early 2012Kia unveiled the three-door version of its Rio small car in Frankfurt overnight, the home of the German designer who has helped bring styling flair and sales success to the Korean car maker in recent years.
The three-door Rio was designed by a team headed by former Volkswagen stylist Peter Schreyer. It follows the arrival of the just-released five-door hatch and will lob Down Under early next year.
The price won't limbo to as low as $12,990 for the runout model it replaces, but Kia is pushing for a sub-$15,000 window sticker.
"We know this is an important car in a price-sensitive part of the market, and the entry point to the Kia brand for many customers," said Kia Australia senior product manager, Nick Reid.
"We are yet to confirm price but we're doing the best we can."
Reid said the three-door Rio would likely find unique appeal given that there are few three-door models remaining in the Light Car class.
"Three-door hatches only represent about 8 per cent of the [Light Car] market… Ford's out, Mazda's out. You only really have Yaris, Barina and [Hyundai] i20 left," he said
However, Reid added there was "definitely still demand" for such cars.
"Three-door hatches account for 20 per cent of the model mix for those who have a three-door available, so it's worth doing," he said.
As with the Rio five-door, the three-door will be available with a 1.4 or 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine with a choice of manual and automatic transmissions.
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