Kia will have the greenest engine on the road when it launches its new Rio later this year, the car maker claims.
The car will be available with a tiny 3-cylinder engine which will have the lowest emissions around and can do an incredible 88 miles to the gallon.
At just 85g/km of CO2, the Rio will be cleaner even than a smart car at 86g/km, beating any hybrid currently available.
"The Rio is a massively important car for us," Paul Philpott, the British boss of Kia Motors Europe told Headlineauto.co.uk. “The car will give us a presence in the important B segment, one of the biggest in Europe, and with its low emissions and our seven year warranty we will have a very enticing offer."
When the new Rio arrives in the autumn, Kia will be pushing to increase sales in Europe from 20,000 a year for the old model to more than 90,000.
The new Rio was given its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show today and is part of a big product push for the car maker this year which will also see the launch of the new small Picanto – given its European unveil at the show – as well as the large Optima family saloon which arrives in Europe at the end of the year.
The 3-cylinder diesel Rio achieves its amazing emissions figures with the help of Kia’s ISG stop start system. The car will also be available with 1.4- and 2-litre petrol engines as well as a 1.4-litre diesel. The Picanto will come with 100g/km 1.2-litre and 3-cylinder, 1-litre, 69g/km petrol engines.
Key to the success of the low-emission Rio will be price. Diesel engines normally attract a premium which is difficult to carry off in high volume, low margin cars. But Kia insiders say they can make the price stack up as advances in technology have reduced the cost of the new engine.
