Kia has revealed the successor to the current-generation Rio in Mexico, however don’t get your hopes up about it coming Down Beneath.

The brand new Kia K3 sedan is about to launch in “choose markets” within the fourth quarter of 2023 and adopts the identify that was beforehand reserved for the South Korean-market model of the Cerato sedan and hatch.

It’s unclear what this implies for the naming conference of the next-generation Cerato, which was just lately spied throughout testing.

The brand new Kia K3 can be produced completely in left-hand drive in Nuevo Leon, Mexico, which robotically guidelines it out from launching in Australia.

At launch the K3 can be accessible with a 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine producing 90kW that may be mated to a six-speed guide or automated. Different engine choices embrace a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine producing 112kW and a 1.4-litre four-cylinder engine producing an undisclosed quantity of energy.

On the surface the K3 has a fastback-like silhouette and a daring appears to be like and LED lighting signatures that paying homage to the EV9 and Seltos. There’s a GT-Line model that has bigger air intakes, 17-inch alloy wheels and twin exhaust shops.

The K3 measures in at 4545mm lengthy, 1765mm huge, and 1475mm tall with a 2670mm wheelbase. This makes it barely bigger than the outgoing North American Rio sedan, and barely smaller than the present Cerato sedan.

It additionally has a boot capability of 544 litres; round 40 litres greater than what’s provided within the bigger Cerato sedan.

Contained in the K3 has a two-spoke steering wheel much like the unit within the EV6, digital instrument cluster, a ten.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, USB-C ports for entrance and rear passengers, dual-zone local weather management, 64-colour inside ambient lighting, in addition to rear air vents.

The Kia K3 comes normal with the next security tools:

• Six airbags
• Autonomous emergency braking
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Lane-keep help
• Driver consideration warning

Though Kia has axed the Rio hatchback regionally, Kia Australia has dedicated to sticking round within the extra reasonably priced finish of the passenger automobile market.

Kia Australia CEO Damien Meredith just lately instructed CarExpert the small passenger automobile section has historically saved the corporate rolling.

“I feel our small passenger automobiles – Picanto, Rio, Cerato – fashioned the inspiration for our development,” mentioned Mr Meredith.

“[The small passenger car segment has] been actually vital to us, and particularly Picanto and Cerato will proceed to be vital to us.”

“We’re fairly assured that the Cerato and Picanto will proceed to promote moderately effectively over a protracted time frame,” added Mr Meredith.

“They’re certainly one of our nice strengths. The place different producers abandoned [the small car] section, we saved on getting in these areas.”

That received’t save the Rio, however primarily confirms a brand new Cerato is due Down Beneath.

MORE: Subsequent-gen Kia Rio teased, reveal date set