Automotive News says Kia will stop making the Rio in the United States after the 2023 model year. The tiny Rio starts at less than $20,000 for the car and the hatchback. The new Kia K3 might replace the Rio but will be more expensive. The Kia Rio is the latest in a long line of cheap small cars no longer sold in the United States. Reports say the subcompact car and hatchback won’t be on the market for the 2024 model year. A Kia U.S. representative told C/D that the information needed to be more accurate. For the 2023 model year, the Rio was one of only three new cars on the US market that cost less than $20,000. With the Mitsubishi Mirage’s planned end, only the Nissan Versa will be in this club in the future. However, Nissan hasn’t said anything about the 2024 Versa yet. Kia sold 16,554 Rio cars this July, 2% less than last year. But the Rio has never been one of Kia’s best-selling cars, and the low price of the car means that profit margins are likely to be small. Now, the Forte hatchback will be Kia’s least expensive car. The model year 2023 started at $20,815; the price for the model year 2024 has yet to be set. Kia also just put out a brand-new small car called the K3. It will finally replace Rio and the Forte but will not start for less than $20,000. Later this year, we should find out more about this new car, which could be sold in the United States for the model year 2025.
