Fourth-gen Kia Rio to be revealed at Paris Motor Show

The all-new, fourth-generation Kia Rio will make its world premiere on September 29 in Paris, at the 2016 Mondial de l’Automobile.

The exterior and interior styling for the hatchback was led by Kia’s design centres in Germany and California, in close collaboration with the company’s main design centre in Namyang, Korea.

The new Rio gets Kia’s latest family face, with an updated version of its signature ‘Tiger nose’ grille, along with deep front air intakes and upswept, angular headlights.

At the rear, angular tail-light clusters house intricate LED designs and sporting touches, including a subtle, black spoiler, also feature.

Despite the rakish roofline and Audi-like thick C-pillar, the Rio pictured is a five-door model, although the door handles have not been included in the sketch.

It’s likely that the large alloys pictured will not be carried over to the production model, which will be shown at the Paris motor show next month.

Inside, the dashboard is uncluttered, with sweeping lines and a mix of pale and dark materials. Additionally, metallic trim adorns the centre console and highlights other interior pieces.

Outside details are mirrored on the inside; the air vents follow the same angular design as that of the tail-lights, as do sculpted dashboard panels. A large, central touchscreen dominates the dash, although the sketch reveals little in the way of detail.

The text accompanying the images also gives little away, aside from saying the front overhang and wheelbase will be longer than those of its predecessor.

Production will start towards the end of the year for European markets.

Also read: Kia Motors launches its first plug-in hybrid, Optima PHEV