Kia's hatchback Rio to hit China market later this year

Shanghai, April 7 (Gasgoo.com) Auto News of sina.com reports that recently the top SUV vehicle carrying the Kia brand will be imported and sold in China after the 2008 Beijing auto show. In the second half of the year, the Chinese-made hatchback Rio will be put into the market. And in 2009, the compact vehicle and the crossover vehicle based on the new-brand platform will also be produced in the Yancheng plant.

Kia have put into the South Korean market the large-scale SUV Mohave (HM) at the beginning of this year. This vehicle originates from the Kia's MESA concept car and is named Borrego beyond South Korean market. Borrego was displayed at the North America's auto show this January, and soon will be sold in the American market this summer. Now the best SUV of Kia is Sorento, which is sold for RMB 300,000 in China. Borrego replaced Sorento and became Kia's top SUV after its appearance. Separated from Sorento in the platform aspect, Borrego adopts the platform technology of Hyundai Veracrus' seven-seat SUV, with 3.0/3.8 liter V6 engines equipped in a dynamic system and a 4.6 liter V8 engine for choice.

It is reported that Borrego, by the name of "Barui" in Chinese, will be launched in China for the first time at the Beijing auto show this month. A dealer said Borrego will be imported for sale around June this year, with its selling price at about RMB 400, 000 ($57,000).

Sources from Dongfeng Yuedakia said it is still undecided when the hatchback Rio is put into the market, and it definitely will not go to this year's Beijing auto show. According to Dongfeng Yuedakia's dealers, this vehicle model is likely to be put into the domestic market this September.

In 2009 a passenger vehicle model based on Kia's ED platform will be put into production and will hit the compact passenger vehicle market.

In addition, sources confirmed that the Soul cross-over concept car (or AM) launched by Kia Motors in recent years would be manufactured in the Yancheng No.2 plant of Dongfeng Yuedakia in 2009. At present AM is only displayed in the form of concept car globally, but in South Korea it is coming into mass production.