The Kia Rio is a series of subcompact automobiles produced by Kia Motors since the 2001 model year. Two generations have been produced, both in five-door hatchback and four-door sedan body styles, all equipped with inline-four gasoline and diesel engines, and front-wheel drive. Introduced in August 2000, the Rio replaced the first-generation Pride—a rebadged version of the Ford Festiva—and the Avella, a subcompact sold as a Ford in some markets. A second generation of the Rio was introduced in 2005 in Europe and 2006 in North America, and is based on a redesigned platform shared with the Hyundai Accent, a subcompact manufactured by its sister Hyundai Motor Company. This car is known as the New Pride in its domestic market of South Korea. The exterior of the second-generation Rio was redesigned in 2010 to incorporate Kia's "Tiger Nose" grille. In 2007, the South Korean government began testing approximately 4,000 pre-production Rio hybrid-electric models, with parent company Hyundai Kia Automotive Group later announcing and subsequently withdrawing anticipated release dates for the hybrid model.
