Kia is set for a landmark year in its history. The three new models on its stand at the 81st Geneva Motor Show are testament to this.
The new Kia Rio made its debut on the world stage and it was joined by the new Kia Picanto and Optima Hybrid.
“Kia’s uniquely powerful presence at Geneva embodies three premieres and highlights our brand’s design-led revolution, world-class engineering, and advanced hybrid technologies,” says Hyoung-Keun Lee, vice chairman of Kia Motors Corporation.
“In Europe and around the word the small and compact car markets account for a huge percentage of global sales, so the introduction of new Picanto and new Rio is immensely significant for Kia in what I am sure will be a landmark year for our brand.”
Kia’s fourth-generation Rio is best described as a revolution, boasting a bold and distinctive personality, combining European finesse (and Latin flair ) with Korean spice to create a global appeal.
Kia tells us the new Rio will deliver low running costs and class-leading CO2 emissions – with target figures for the model range starting at 85g/km. Together with fuel consumption from only 3.2 litres/100km, Rio will be the cleanest non-electric car in Europe.
The new Kia Picanto is now a small car, grown up. It has been redesigned and re-engineered with stand-out styling that conveys a sense of solidity and maturity. Longer than the previous model, and with an extended wheelbase, the new Picanto will be offered for the first time with a choice of five-door and three-door body styles. Kia says it is set to become one of the most competitive vehicles in the global city car A-segment.
The character of the 3.6-metre long new Picanto has been transformed to turn heads on the street, thanks to its good looking and dynamic design language. Picanto in its newest form exudes a bold self confidence.
Following its world premiere in the US, Kia exhibited its new Optima Hybrid family saloon in front of a European audience for the first time. Scheduled to begin mass production in September 2011, the striking saloon pioneers new technologies which are destined to appear in future Kia production models.
Certainly with such appealing styling, Kia is a marque that is on the move and combined with the seven-years warranty, it is little wonder buyers are finding it an attractive proposition.
