Kia To Kick Start Its Indian Operations With The Rio Sedan

Kia Motors will launch its Indian operations with the construction of a brand new 300,000 units plant in Andhra Pradesh. The first product to begin its operations is expected to be the Kia Rio.

Published: Tuesday, May 2, 2017, 11:12 [IST]

Kia Motors, the sub-brand of Hyundai, has formally confirmed its entry into the Indian market. The carmaker has acquired land in Andhra Pradesh which has an annual capacity of 300,000 cars.

Kia Rio Sedan Will Kick Start The Indian Operations

The first two segment that Kia will target is the compact sedan and a compact SUV. While the compact SUV is expected to be an all-new product from the company, the compact sedan will be based on the Rio sedan.

Kia's product portfolio across the globe includes the smallest Rio to some of the popular Kia Optima. The company also has some larger sedan such as the Cadenza and the K900.

But we are interested in the Kia Rio sedan as it fits the bill in the Indian market. The compact sedan is powered by a 1.4-litre petrol unit which powers the Hyundai Verna in India as well.

The powertrain churns out a maximum of 106bhp and 135Nm of maximum torque. The company could offer the 1.6-litre petrol unit, which does its duty in the Verna, as well.

As for the diesel option, the same choice of either the 1.4-litre or the 1.6-litre oil burner could power the Kia Rio. Both the powertrains are expected to be mated either to a 5-speed manual or automatic gearbox.

Feature wise; the Kia Rio will come with LED headlamps and taillamps, touchscreen infotainment system with navigation and integrated with Apple CarPlay and Andriod Auto.

In the U.S., Kia retails the Rio with a price tag of about Rs 10 lakh. We expect the Kia Rio to be offered with a competitive price tag to take on the likes of Maruti Ciaz, Honda City as well as the Hyundai Verna.

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