2024 Kia K3 revealed as bold Rio replacement, not for Australia

Kia has unveiled the all-new K3 light sedan in Mexico this week, but the bold and edgy Rio successor won’t come to Australia.

The fifth-generation Rio, now rebadged as ‘K3’ – a name still used for the larger Cerato in South Korea and China – features the company’s latest ‘Opposites United’ design theme reminiscent of the facelifted Picanto city car and Seltos small SUV, while retaining the traditional 'tiger nose' front grille.

Despite the liftback-style roofline, it has grown in size with a 2670mm wheelbase and 544-litre boot capacity with a traditional sedan door opening.

The interior has undergone a modern overhaul, featuring a combined 10.25-inch touchscreen and 4.2-inch driver’s instrument display, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability, Qi wireless charging pad, and 64-colour adjustable ambient lighting.

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The car also seems to introduce a simpler version of Kia's dual-function, touch-sensitive climate control strip, and rear passengers benefit from air vents for the first time.

Furthermore, the K3 will offer safety assistance technologies, including blind-spot assist, rear cross-traffic assist, and front autonomous emergency braking – the former two not available on the outgoing Rio.

In Mexico, it’ll be offered with a 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine making 90kW of power with either six-speed manual or automatic transmissions, while the top-spec GT-Line variant features a new 112kW 2.0-litre engine and is auto-only. A 1.4-litre powerplant will be available for export markets.

The new Kia K3 will be available in select markets from the fourth quarter of this year (October to December inclusive). It will be made at its Nuevo Leon, Mexico factory, which produced the outgoing Rio for the North American market.

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Is the Kia Rio still available in Australia?

Wheels understands about 300 new examples remain in stock for the outgoing 2023 Kia Rio light hatch in Australia.

In February, the local arm confirmed that this new-generation K3 won’t be made for right-hand drive countries, and the Rio nameplate will be discontinued after 20 years in Australia.

This leaves the Kia Picanto micro car – which will soon receive a facelift at the end of this year – and Cerato small car, with the South Korean company remaining committed to both models.

Our earlier story, below, continues unchanged.

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August 6, 2023: 2024 Kia K3 teased

Kia has teased its next-generation Rio successor – but it won’t be coming to Australia.

To be known as the K3, the typically shadowy image only depicts the small sedan's full-width LED tail-lights, reminiscent of the facelifted Seltos small SUV and in line with Kia’s edgier design theme.

Turning up the exposure also reveals indicator and reverse bulbs in a separate unit – which appear to be incandescent as per the Seltos line-up.

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Interestingly, the teaser states that it will be “redefining market segments and drawing attention from upper-segment buyers” – which could hint at a higher SUV-like ride height.

Spy shots from 숏카 Shorts Car [↗] suggest the sedan will feature a higher ground clearance akin to the Polestar 2 electric liftback, larger dimensions, and a sportier sloping roof similar to the Hyundai i30 Sedan.

It will debut in Mexico, where the Rio is currently built for the North American market, on August 9 at 12pm AEST.

Wheels understands the next-generation Rio will be called the K3 in North America, which is the current badge for the larger Cerato in South Korea.

That small car could shift to the K4 moniker – placing it between the new K3 (née Rio) and K5 (née Optima) – or receive a more globally universal name instead.

Why isn’t the new Rio coming to Australia?

Kia Australia confirmed to Wheels in February that the budget-friendly Kia Rio light hatch won’t live on locally since the next generation won’t be made in right-hand drive.

This will leave the Kia Picanto micro car – which will receive a sharp-looking facelift later this year – to fill the sub-$25,000 void.

The Kia Cerato small hatch and sedan is also due for a new-generation model soon.