Kia Rio Receives Top Safety Rating & Awards

Kia Rio Receives Top Safety Rating & Awards

Kia’s small cars are running red hot, with the all-new Rio winning top awards around the world, plus, it has also gained the prestigious 5- star EuroNCAP safety rating. The Rio’s success follows on the back of Kia’s smallest model the Picanto which has received multiple awards since it was launched in July 2011.

The all-new Rio, which has only just gone on sale in New Zealand, has been voted Continental Car of the Year in Ireland and Best Light Car Under Aus$20,000 in Australia’s annual Best Car awards.

The two awards come on the back of news that the latest Rio has gained the maximum five stars for accident safety from leading European road safety organisation, EuroNCAP.

The redesigned 5-door hatchback achieved high scores for Adult Occupant Protection (92 percent), Child Occupant Protection (84 percent) and Safety Assist Equipment (86 percent) and Kia also received praise from the testers for fitment of Electronic Stability Control (ESC) as standard.

Safety was one of the considerations of the Irish Motoring Writers’ Association in awarding the Kia Rio the Continental Irish Car of the Year for 2012.

The Rio beat off competition from the Ford Focus and the Peugeot 508 to take the prize, marking the first time that a Korean car brand has taken the title in the 35-year history of the awards.

The award was based on a wide range of criteria voted on by the Irish Motoring Writers Association judges, ranging from innovation and safety to space, comfort, build quality, driving quality and value for money.

Judges said the Rio’s victory is a measure of the progress which Korean manufacturers have made in a very short time.

The judges of the Australian Best Car awards were similarly impressed, saying: “The Kia Rio delivers well beyond its price point and small car origins.

“The feeling of quality, fit and finish is evident even over nasty, uneven road surfaces where you would expect a small car to develop any number of rattles and squeaks. There are none in the Kia.”

The judges also praised the Rio’s on-road performance, pointing out that it equalled or bettered all-comers for performance, ride, handling and braking.

Todd McDonald, General Manager of Kia Motors New Zealand, says the awards and the top safety rating for the Rio are further proof of Kia’s growing prowess as one of the world’s leading vehicle manufacturers.

“It shows Kia’s dedication to deliver vehicles that not only offer the very best in safety technology, but also win high honors in the face of stiff competition from other car makers,” he says.

“What makes these achievements even more impressive is that they are being earned by one of Kia’s smaller cars, where it not only faces more competition, but more constraints due to tighter development budgets, when compared to larger models.”

The Kia Rio is now available in New Zealand priced from $22,990.

ENDS

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