The Kia Rio will bid farewell to the European market in 2023

When it arrived on the Spanish market, one of the first models Kia sold was the Kia Rio. This four-door compact has received new generations and updates over the years. Despite its success, it has gradually been phased out and has even stopped being sold in South Korea, its original market.

Now we know that its time in the European and Australian markets is also coming to an end, and they will soon stop receiving this model. In fact, the Kia factory in Sohari, South Korea, has stopped shipping new units to both markets. This means the number of units available is limited, because no more cars are being produced for our market.

It is expected that throughout 2023 all available units will sell out, so the time has come to say goodbye to this model. Another sign of the Rio’s partial disappearance is the announcement that no more Kia Rio with right-hand drive will be produced, which takes out of the equation all markets that have this feature.

Why is the Kia Rio disappearing

The current generation of the Kia Rio arrived in 2016 and received an update in 2020. Should a fifth generation of the Kia Rio arrive, it will be limited to the North American market. So Kia will have to assess whether it is worth launching a new variant of the model or withdrawing it from the market altogether.

The drop in sales has played a large part in this decision. The emergence of models such as compact SUVs like the Kia Stonic or the Picanto. In fact, in 2022 only 32,506 units of the Kia Rio were sold in Europe. By comparison, the Opel Corsa sold 164,119 units over the same period. The Kia Rio no longer attracts European buyers, and that has condemned it to be discontinued.

In Spain, the price of the Kia Rio starts at 16,480 euros, so it is a fairly affordable car. If you like it, you will need to hurry, because once the existing stock runs out, no more will be shipped from the production plant.