Kia Rio Model History

The 2001 Rio by Kia entered the sedan market touted as anaffordable car with plenty of features and a long warranty offered on thepowertrain. It delivered a feasible and affordable, feature-rich car. The 2002Rio was offered in both sedan and wagon body styles, boasting over 44 cubicfeet of storage. In 2003, Rio added a new 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, madecluster adjustments, added interior features like bottle holders and child seatanchors, map lights and other interior add-ons, as well as new front fasciasand a spoiler for the wagon. The 2004 Rio offered alloy wheels on the Cinco andlumbar support to the driver seat. No major changes were made to the 2005model. In 2006, Kio introduced a newly redesigned Rio and hatchback. In 2007,minor changes were made, including the addition of the SX trim and optional 16alloy wheels.

The 2008 Rio saw the addition of the LX trim for the Rio5hatchback. No substantial changes were made for 2009. In 2010, a few exteriorand interior updates were made, including added Bluetooth integration andcruise control. The 2011 Rio saw no major model changes. In 2012, Kiaintroduced a brand new design for the Rio. The 2013 Rio saw paddle shiftersadded to the SX trim and better fuel efficiency, thanks to the stop-starttechnology.