PARIS MOTOR SHOW: Kia goes to Rio

Kia has whipped the virtual covers off its redesigned Rio exactly four weeks before its physical world debut at the Paris motor show on September 29, revealing a handsome new light-size five-door hatchback that will arrive in Australian showrooms in the first quarter of next year.

Dressed in an all-new body created at Kia’s design centres in Germany and California – "in close collaboration with the company’s global design headquarters in Namyang" -- the upstart Korean brand's fourth-generation Rio grows in all dimensions except height.

Kia's answer to popular city-cars like the Toyota Yaris, Mazda2 and Hyundai Accent, plus Holden's upcoming Barina facelift, grows by 15mm in length (now 4065mm long), 10mm in wheelbase (2580mm) and 5mm in width (1725mm), but shrinks 15mm in height (1450mm).

As previewed by last week's teaser sketches, it presents a longer front overhang under a rakish bonnet, thinner and more upright C-pillars, a more upright, near-vertical rear windscreen and shorter rear overhang.

Creating a more modern stance are straight lines, smooth surfacing and – up front -- the latest evolution of Kia’s ‘tiger-nose’ grille, which is now wider but thinner in height.

Also thinner are back-swept bi-function projection headlights that project a new U-shaped LED light signature, and the more sculpted tail-lights that feature a new arrow-shaped LED light signature.

More widely spaced fog lights appear to add width and aggression, as do the full-length shoulder lines that continue from the grille to around the back of the car via the headlights and top of the doors.

The cleaner, more contemporary theme continues inside, where Kia says it has combined sculptural forms with a more ergonomic layout than its predecessor, which was the car-maker's global best-seller with more than 473,000 sold worldwide last year.

Adding visual width, a straight line runs the width of the dashboard, which is now angled towards the driver and dominated by a large high-resolution touch-screen infotainment system. Its audio, navigation and new connectivity systems are operated by a ‘floating’ human-machine interface (HMI), which reduces the number of buttons on the centre console.

In Europe, where production starts in late 2016, the new Rio cabin will come with gloss black and metallic trim, and will be available with a choice of black or grey cloth seat upholstery, or with black or grey artificial leather, while a ‘Red Pack’ brings a black theme with red artificial leather-trimmed seats.

Kia says the Mk4 Rio will bring class-leading practicality and safety technology, the latest connectivity features and "more assured and engaging ride and handling characteristics".

Australia's Rio will come from South Korea early next year, around the same time as Kia's new-generation Picanto micro-car, which is also expected to debut in Paris this month.

Rounding out a big year for Kia in Australia will be the brand's first compact SUV and first large rear-drive sedan, both of which should hit local showrooms in the third quarter of 2017.