Last Auto news – Kia vows to eclipse VW as quality king

Last Auto news – Kia vows to eclipse VW as quality king Next Rio will have top-grade finish to match VW, follows Venga cues, but design chief Schreyer says style will mark out all new models

Look out Volkswagen – Kia is out to get you! In an exclusive interview with Auto Express, bosses confirmed that the replacement for the Korean giant’s Rio supermini will aim to match the VW Polo for quality, but with a greater injection of style.

The news came at the UK launch of the new Sportage crossover – the first complete Kia to be styled by design chief and former Audi man Peter Schreyer.

Head of product planning David Labrosse told us that while his firm is targeting VW’s quality benchmark, “we don’t want all of our cars to look the same”.

He added: “When we launched the Cee’d in 2006, it showed that Kia can build a car that can compete in Europe. With the Sportage, we are introducing style and premium quality to an affordable model.”

This philosophy will extend across the Kia range – and the next car to get the treatment is the new Rio, due in 2011.

Schreyer confirmed that it would be recognisable as a Kia, and use the latest corporate grille design (as seen on the Venga in our main picture). But he said it wouldn’t necessarily share its design cues with the Sportage. “Kia isn’t afraid of trying something different,” he explained. “Elements of the Sportage wouldn’t have made production if it was built by someone else. That freedom to experiment means we can offer cars that people desire, rather than basic transport.”

More details on Kia’s plans for 2011 – which include the launch of four new models – will be revealed at the Paris Motor Show in October. The company is also promising to take the wraps off “something exciting” at the French exhibition.