Kia Rio: The new version is styled as a sedan

Will the new Rio only be in the US or could it live on in Europe?

Where is the Kia Rio headed in the future? Small cars are not easy, as the Audi A1 and Ford Fiesta show off. In particular, stricter emissions standards cause prices to rise (see links at the end of this text). A report recently highlighted the fact that the current Rio will not have a successor in Europe.

Now, however, an example has been photographed that casts doubt on this theory again. We see a short note sedan with narrow headlights but lines reminiscent of the current model. You must know that in some markets like the United States there is a length of 4.42 meters Kia Rio Sedan. But it belongs to the YB Rio series, which was released in 2017.

Meanwhile, Hyundai let it be known that they are working on successors to the i10, i20 and i30. Over the years, however, these have become increasingly electrified to the point of purely electric vehicles. Very interesting, after all, the current Kia Rio is closely related to the Hyundai i20.

So what scenarios can be imagined? First: Kia is bringing the new Rio and not just as a sedan. Second, Kia is bringing the new Rio, but not as a five-door hatchback for Europe, as a sedan for America and other parts of the world. Hyundai would then maintain the small car segment in this country.

That might make sense, but the fact that the new Kia Picanto was recently caught in the snow speaks against it. Why is the brand creating a new car in this price-conscious segment, where smaller cars are known to make less money?

Perhaps Hyundai and Kia are following an approach that Toyota has already used: there, the small Aygo X is based on the short Yaris platform. In any case, we will keep our eyes open and hope that our photographers will soon see the upcoming Kia Rio as a five-door model. Unfortunately, the next novel from the brand is the EV9, a large electric SUV.

Photo gallery: Kia Rio sedan captured as Erlkönig