The Kia Rio rivals the still popular Ford Fiesta in Europe, but Kia is pulling the plug on selling the car across the continent. According to Autocar, European sales in Europe in 2022 of the subcompact amounted to 32,506 – nine percent less than in 2021. Its direct rival, the relentlessly successful Vauxhall Corsa, sold 164,119 units.
In the UK, Kia sold just 3,800 Rio’s in 2022, a fraction of a percent of its 90,000 cars sold on the islands. Kia suggests the low sales numbers are, at least in part, to higher-riding crossovers eating sales. However, the tiny Kia Picanto and its 1.0 and 1.2-liter engines made up 10 percent of Kia’s UK sales.