Korean Samba

We Drive Kia’s Promising Hatchback Rio, In India.

- Anubhav Sharma

India’s car market, as promising it seems, is a very difficult place to be. To even find a footing, is a challenge and any one brave enough must come prepared for some tough battles and long lasting scars. Ask any of the brands who have been trying to make a mark and I am sure they will agree, off the record mostly. To take on the leaders, you need amazing products, great pricing, expansive dealer network and very deep pockets. Kia Motors has shown, in other parts of the world, that they possess all the above. We take their Rio for a spin, which will go head on with Maruti Suzuki Baleno and Hyundai i20.

Most people in India, may not be aware of the history of the Rio and if one were to go purely by its looks, then the lack of awareness may not be a bad thing. The Rio has always been a car which offered practicality and space at a good price. This one is the fourth generation and it has only taken those attributes higher, while also having a simultaneously improved design. Compared to the competition we think it goes up against, the exterior does look a bit conservative, but it did turn many a heads while I was driving it around. Regular motorists turned into full blown paparazzi, camera phones out, trying to get a photo of the Rio. Most of them, Kia might be happy to know, were in a Maruti or Hyundai. On the outside, it is a good looking car, no doubt.