Naza Kia Malaysia may have missed the fourth-quarter of 2012 launch date of the Kia Rio, but not by much if the latest rumoured launch date of January 2013 comes true. And the Kia Rio will come in the form of a five-door hatchback, powered by a 1.4-litre Gamma engine that pushes 109 HP and 136 Nm through a four-speed automatic gearbox to the front wheels.
One of the main attractions of the Kia Rio would be its 2012 Reddot design award-wining looks, penned by none other than Peter Schreyer, the man behind the eye-catching duo of the Optima K5 and the Sportage. Yet another is the previously-announced price point in the range of RM70K, which would position it competitively against the Nissan Almera.
Then again, that pricing, made public by CEO Datuk Hafiz Syed Abu Bakar last July, appears unlikely if the rumoured trim levels of EX and SX indeed arrive later this month. Six airbags, Vehicle Stability Management (VSM), LED daytime running lights, a leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, and Bluetooth connectivity as standard for RM70K plus? The added equipment on the SX trim—a sunroof, automatic air-conditioning with ionizer, and Smart Key with a push start button—throws that pricing into even more doubt.
Affordable or expensive, we wouldn't have to wait long to find out. Until then, a very lucky Malaysian stands to win a new Rio by taking part in Naza Kia Malaysia's Rio Runabout contest. The format goes like this: solving weekly word puzzles earns the player pictures, and the first 10 players to collect six pictures will receive invites to the Rio's launch party, during which the winner of a final challenge will drive home a new car
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