“Quantitative growth is important, but qualitative growth is also important. We plan to focus on improving product quality and our brand," Sam-ung said at the launch of the new Rio.
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If you prefer an automatic transmission, the starting price is $15,450, while the range-topping SX trim will set you back $18,750, with all prices including the $750 destination fee.
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The Rio will be available at launch only as a five-door model but a three-door bodystyle will be added to the range early next year.
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The other three awards were won in the Exterior category by the latest Sportage, the Optima sedan and the new Rio.
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The 2012 Rio5 is available with a 1.6-liter GDI four-cylinder engine with the option of either a six-speed manual transmission or six-speed automatic. The direct-injection four-pot delivers 138 horsepower, and thanks to the addition of Kia’s ISG start-stop technology, it returns 30 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway.
The North American Rio sedan keeps the hatchback model’s front end styling with the large, almond-shaped headlights adding a new window line and a different rear end design. Same goes for the interior which is identical to the five-door model we saw in Geneva, sans the different trim and features.
The first global debut concerns the four-door sedan version of the 2012 Kia Rio, which was unwrapped in hatchback form at the Geneva Salon in March. The 2012 Rio sedan will be joined by the North American debut of the Rio5 hatchback.
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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 company said that its Ford Fiesta rival is "designed to inject emotional appeal into the B-segment, targeting progressive, energetic consumers who want a stand-out design", adding that the new Rio's styling marks “the next big step” in the company’s ongoing design revolution.
But while it's obvious that the new Rio will be a more stylish proposal than the current model, our recent spy shots suggest that Kia's renderings aren't as close to reality as the company would like us to believe.
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Now, following the announcement on the completely redesigned Picanto city car that will break cover at the Geneva Show, our spy photographers snapped the next new model to be added to Kia's range, the 2012 Rio subcompact, while testing in Germany.
