Kia is preparing a major small SUV based on the Rio

Kia is booming and they want to make the most of this situation to enter a new segment, that of small SUVs, although they have called it a “CUV”, as they say their future model will not be a conventional crossover.

In statements to the publication Motoring, Damien Meredith, of Kia Australia, announced that its new model would enter the market next year, 2017, with a design that takes as its starting point the Provo concept that they presented a few years ago at the Geneva Motor Show, although produced on the basis of the upcoming Kia Rio, which will arrive in a few months.

Meredith stated that it is very likely that the new SUV model will take sales away from its segment B car, the Kia Rio, as has happened with other brands. Its main rivals will be the Mazda CX-3 and the Honda HR-V, which have “stolen” sales from the Mazda2 and Jazz models of their respective brands. The fastest-growing segment in Europe is that of mid-size and small crossovers, so Kia may lose Rio sales, but they will surely be offset by the profits generated by the new model, whose name we still do not know.

Kia will soon launch the new generation of the Picanto and a rear-wheel-drive saloonIt will share much of the technology, components and mechanics of the Kia Rio, with updated small-displacement engines. In addition, it will be produced at the same plant the Korean brand has in its home country, making use of the existing facilities. Being derived directly from the Rio and being an SUV with limited off-road capability, we think the new model will probably only be available in front-wheel-drive versions.

On the other hand, the Korean multinational, in addition to the new Rio and this vehicle we have just been told about, will soon launch a new generation of the Kia Picanto and its first rear-wheel-drive vehicle, which will derive from the GT Sedan concept presented in 2011.

As we said, we do not know indicative prices, nor even the name of this future model. What is clear is that more and more customers are abandoning conventional cars in search of a type of vehicle that did not exist just a few years ago. Saloons and much of the compact segment are being replaced by mid-size crossovers, and smaller cars, such as those in segment B, also have an raised-body alternative.

Source | Motoring