Kia Rio GT-Line axed

Kia Australia has announced the Kia Rio GT-Line is being discontinued in our market as the brand struggles with crippling supply issues surrounding the flagship light hatch’s 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol/seven-speed dual-clutch automatic powertrain.

The pint-size but effective powertrain will continue to be offered locally in the related Kia Stonic GT-Line light SUV “due to the popularity of SUVs in the Australian market”, but it remains to be seen whether the flagship Rio’s axing will affect the Stonic in terms of either sales and delivery times.

The Rio GT-Line’s discontinuation should theoretically free up supply of the thrummy little powertrain for the Stonic, but that extra supply could be negated by an upswing in demand if would-be top-spec Rio shoppers opt for the SUV rather than an alternative like the Mazda2, MG3 or Toyota Yaris.

Wait times for the Rio GT-Line had blown out to between six and 12 months in the lead-up to its axing, and Kia says it’s now doing all it can to fill the sea of backorders in a reasonable timeframe.

It will be interesting to see what impact the flagship’s sudden retirement has on the Rio’s overall sales tally going forward, given the GT-Line accounted for roughly 25 per cent of sales last year – a figure that dropped to 20 per cent in the first six months of this year as the supply pinches began to be felt.

That figure will continue to decline in the coming months as order books remain closed and existing orders are gradually filled.

Good for 74kW of power and 172Nm of torque, the ‘1.0 T-GDi’ turbo-petrol engine will now only be available in the aforementioned Stonic GT-Line and Kia Picanto GT micro hatch, in which it’s hooked up to a five-speed manual transmission.

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