KIA Rio is Continental Irish Car of the Year

GALWAY ADVERTISER, NOVEMBER 24, 2011.

Pictured are Gerry Murphy, chairman of the IMWA; James Brooks, managing director, KIA Ireland; and Paddy Murphy, general manager of Continental Tyres.

The Kia Rio has been voted Continental Irish Car of the Year 2012 by the Irish Motoring Writers’ Association.

The announcement was made at an awards ceremony in the Convention Centre Dublin attended by leading figures from the motor industry. It marks the first time a Korean car brand has taken the title in the 35-years history of the awards.

The top three in the results were as follows: 1. Kia Rio, 181 points; 2. Ford Focus, 176 points; 3. Peugeot 508, 165 points.

The Irish Motoring Writers’ Association judges awarded points on the basis of criteria that included innovation and safety, space, comfort, build quality, driving quality, and value for money.

Presenting the award to James Brooks, managing director of Kia Ireland, Paddy Murphy of sponsor Continental Tyres Ireland, commented: “From a great crop of entrants for this year’s award, the Irish motoring writers have selected an exciting model to carry the 2012 title and no doubt the Continental Irish Car of the Year accolade will provide a great badge of honour for the Kia Rio to help it in the competitive Irish market next year. The Rio’s victory is a measure of the progress which Korean manufacturers have made on the car market in a very short time.”

Awards were made in five categories, reflecting the diversified nature of today’s car market in Ireland.

Continental Irish Small Car of the Year: Kia Rio.

Continental Irish Compact Family Car of the Year: Ford Focus.

Continental Irish Family Car of the Year: Peugeot 508.

Continental Irish Executive /Luxury Car of the Year: Range Rover Evoque.

Continental Irish Performance Car of the Year: Mercedes-Benz SLK.

The Kia Rio succeeds the Nissan Juke which took the prestigious title last year. The Continental Irish Van of the Year 2012 title was awarded to the Volkswagen Crafter.

The Irish Motoring Writers' Association has organised the Irish Car of the Year Awards each year for the past 35 years.

VW Crafter is Van of the Year

The Volkswagen Crafter has been voted the Continental Irish Van of the Year 2012 by the Irish Motoring Writers’ Association.

The Crafter, with 44 points, finished just ahead of the Fiat Ducato EU5 on 38 points, with the Fiat Doblo Workup in third place on 29 points.

Value-for-money, reliability, versatility and lasting residual value were among the attributes sought by the judging panel.

Presenting the award to Niall Phillips of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Ireland, Paddy Murphy of sponsor Continental Tyres Ireland, said: “The VW Crafter is a worthy winner of the Irish Van of the Year title, ideally suited to the needs of Ireland’s commercial vehicle operators. In the current tough market conditions for commercial vehicles, we are sure that the award will contribute in no small way to the ongoing success of the Crafter.”

There are 260 versions of the Crafter available to suit a range of requirements and prices range from €22,000 excl VAT.

The Crafter succeeds the Mercedes Benz Vito, last year's winner. And, at the same ceremony, the Kia Rio was voted Continental Irish Car of the Year 2012.

Kia Motors’ New Engine Recognized on Ward’s “2012 10 Best Engines List”

December 20th, 2011 Posted in Business,R&D   

• by Kia Motors PR Team

As if being awarded for outstanding design wasn’t enough, Kia Motors’ new 1.6-liter Gasoline Direct-Injection engine has been named to Ward’s “2012 10 Best Engines” list for its combination of performance and fuel efficiency, further solidifying Kia’s position as a fuel economy leader in the U.S.

The four-cylinder Gamma engine, a brainchild of Kia’s latest technology, delivers class-leading 138 horsepower while maintaining fuel economy of 30/40 mpg (city/highway) in the Rio 5-door and sedan. In addition, it comes with Idle Stop and Go (ISG) technology, which turns off the engine when the vehicle is not in motion further increasing fuel economy.

To be selected on Ward’s “10 Best Engines” list, the powertrain must have the latest technology and be affordable and available to most consumers. Ward’s editors also consider engines that increase horsepower and torque numbers, sound appealing and integrate well with their vehicles.

The new engine will be offered in the all-new 2012 Rio subcompacts and the refreshed 2012 Soul. (The engine availability may vary by countries)

The 2012 Soul has been enhanced not only with an engine, but has gone through several technological, powertrain and style changes as well. The Soul will also offer ISG technology. The 2012 Rio also delivers a great combination of power and fuel efficiency.

*Editor’s note: options might vary by regions.

Kia Rio wins Carsguide Car of the Year 2011

• By Carsguide team
• Carsguide
• 16 December 2011

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  The Rio scores its success off the back of impressive design and packaging, tweaking by an Australian suspension expert, topped by smart pricing starting from $16,290.

• Carsguide Car of the Year 2011

The Kia Rio emerges as the judges' choice and a surprising favourite ...

It was the closest ever vote in Carsguide Car of the Year history. And it produced a surprise winner for 2011. It's the Kia Rio. The Korean compact claims the crown by just one vote over the impressive Volvo S60, with the funky Ford Focus rounding out the top three at the end of a year that is setting all sorts of records.

On the COTY front, the Rio becomes the second baby-class member and only the second Korean car to claim the crown, as well as the first from the junior member of the Hyundai-Kia conglomerate.More than one million cars will again find new homes in 2011, it's increasingly likely that the Holden Commodore's 15-year reign as Australia's favourite car will end, and new brands from China - Geely and Chery - have taken the count in showrooms to more than 60 individual nameplates.

The Rio scores its success off the back of impressive design and packaging, tweaking by an Australian suspension expert, topped by smart pricing starting from $16,290.

Surprisingly, it was top choice with six of the 10 COTY judges in 2011, as the Volvo and Ford split the others.

At the end of two intensive and tiring days of back-to-back running, the Rio did best when measured against the COTY judging criteria of value, design, technology and safety.

"It's a nice, light, easy car to drive. It's got a feisty engine and some nice little touches like the hill-start system and an upshift indicator light," says chief judge, Ged Bulmer.

The safety-first Volvo S60 is also a hit with judges, apart from one obvious shortcoming in Australia.

"The only thing I don't like is the spare tyre. It doesn't have one," says Neil Dowling. "For what it is, it drives well. Inside, the design is kinda the anti-Focus."

The baby Ford is a driving favourite but loses out for its ergonomics and a higher price point than the Rio.

"It's good value, has a good sound system, and is good value. But the dash layout is ordinary - it looks like someone threw the buttons at the dash," says Mark Hinchliffe.

The COTY contest in 2011 follows a familiar pattern of recent times, with 10 judges, 10 cars and two days of tough driving on a variety of surfaces to check everything from freeway noise levels and fuel economy to dust sealing and cornering grip. There is also an intensive pre-drive briefing and quality check on all 10 contenders, which range in price from the Nissan Micra at $14,990 as an ST automatic to the heavily-loaded Range Rover Evoque at nearly $100,000.

Action starts at the Ford Proving Group at You Yangs when all the contenders come together for the first time, with the good looking Evoque and the homeground hero - the diesel-powered Ford Territory diesel - sharing the spotlight.

Everyone wants to know how they will compare, which strengths and weaknesses will be revealed, and how the eventual contenders will stack up against the reigning COTY champion, the Volkswagen Polo.

One change for 2011 is an early cull which takes out five hopefuls.

At then end of a rugged first day, with many laps of the right-and-handling course at You Yangs, a gravel-road circuit and road time in and around Geelong, there are a few surprises.

The Evoque is out early because it is poor value, quality and driving failings let the Micra down, while the Volkswagen Scirocco is way too sports focussed - one judge asks for a kidney belt because the ride is almost rock hard - and the Hyundai i40 is nothing special for design or driving. The Territory also goes out because of its basic age, despite the updated front-end styling and diesel for 2011, and shortcomings in a variety of areas.

So day two starts early with five cars - with the Holden Cruze hatch as the only local - and two judges aboard each for a series of real-world road loops and plenty of swapping and changing.

Then it's time for a sit-down, talk-through and the final voting. Each judge lists their cars from top to bottom and the one with the lowest score wins.

The Cruze looks good but has plenty of shortcomings, from lacklustre rear suspension to reflections on the instruments.

"Back-to-back it with the Focus and you have to go with the Ford," says Stuart Martin.

The BMW is a driving favourite, but it has a cramped cabin and falls down on value.

"It's not what you expect for that sort of money. The packaging is compromised," says Neil Dowling.

So the final three emerge, at the end of a tight contest with no truly standout car. The Toyota Camry might have been The One, and Ford also has the four-cylinder Falcon coming soon, but both arrived too late for the COTY cutoff.

Eventually, the Rio emerges as the judges' choice and a surprising favourite despite its compact size and value-first pricing. It's definitely helped by the suspension work by Graeme Gambold, as well as a six-speed gearbox and feisty engine.

"It looks good and it's value for money. All the audio stuff is there.  It's got cruise control and a spare," says Karla Pincott. "Is it better than the best cars in the class? Yes."

And there it is, the Carsguide Car of the Year for 2011.

FINISHING ORDER

1. Kia Rio
2. Volvo S60
3. Ford Focus
4. BMW 118
5. Holden Cruze
6. Range Rover Evoque
7. Ford Territory
8. Volkwagen Scirocco
9. Hyundai i40
10. Nissan Micra.

Kia Rio vs VW Polo

Downsizing to an eco-friendly supermini can slash your costs. But does Kia’s ultra-efficient new Rio demand any compromises? We find out as it meets the VW Polo

Photos: Pete Gibson December 2011

Buyers often need to make compromises when choosing a new car, but some models demand more than others. In the past, those drivers looking to maximise economy have needed to make more sacrifices than most, yet the latest generation of eco-friendly models is better than ever. 

The newest fuel-sipping kid on the supermini block is the Kia Rio 1.1 CRDi ecoDynamics 2. It sits above the £11,895 entry-level ecoDynamics 1, which promises 88.3mpg economy and incredibly low CO2 emissions of only 85g/km.

Video: watch CarBuyer's video review of the Kia Rio

Yet our ecoDynamics 2 model is still very green. Its tiny three-cylinder engine comes with stop-start technology, and claims fuel economy of 75mpg and sub-100g/km emissions. It carries a price of only £13,795. 

Of course, this isn’t a new or groundbreaking formula – it’s something Volkswagen has been perfecting for years. The Polo BlueMotion is the pinnacle of the company’s fuel-efficient range. As with the Kia, it offers a spacious cabin and five doors, but even lower CO2 emissions as well as claimed economy of 80.7mpg. This does come at a price, though, because the Polo is the more expensive choice.

The question is, which one represents better value for money and demands fewer compromises of buyers?

For an alternative review of the latest Kia Rio visit our sister site carbuyer.co.uk

Rio Loves Rio!

December 9th, 2011 Posted in Communications,Design,Kia Vehicles   

• by Kia BUZZ Editorial Team

Hello Kia Fans! What do one of the largest cities in Brazil and an animation from 20th Century Fox have in common? Both have the same name as Kia’s all-new Rio! Check out the new video, the Rio movie remix, which features the all-new Rio with characters from the animated movie.

All-new Rio

The Kia Rio has been launched in 5-door, 4-door and 3-door versions and 5-door was awarded “best design” by the Automotive Brand Contest. You can find more about Kia’s philosophy behind Rio’s design from the following two posts:

Breaking Kia’s Design Code: The Rio Design Story (Exterior)

Breaking Kia’s Design Code: The Rio Design Story (Interior & Color)

Rio the Movie

In the movie Rio, the story begins with an endangered parrot called ‘Blu’ searching for his true mate in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro. The city of Samba and scorching sun, Rio de Janeiro is a whole new world for Blu and her mate, Rio, sets off on a wonderful adventure, making many friends along the way. For more information on the movie, check out the following link: http://www.rio-themovie.com.

Kia Buzz mixes it up with Rio movie Remix!

Upon the launch of the Rio movie Remix, Kia Buzz changed its welcome skin to show characters from the movie. For more information on the Rio the Remix campaign, you can visit the all-new Rio contents hub page, where you can find more information about the all-new Rio 3. http://www.kiamotors.com/rioevent.aspx

Kia is also preparing an online rhythm game featuring the ‘Rio remix song’ in December so stay tuned and don’t miss out on a fun event!