√Kia Stonic safe in Australia after Rio axing

The Kia Stonic city SUV has earned a stay of execution for at least two years – despite the recent axing of the Kia Rio city hatch on which it is based.

The Kia Stonic city SUV is safe in Australian showrooms for at least two years – despite the demise of the Kia Rio hatch on which it is based – dealers have been advised.

As reported earlier this month, the next-generation Kia Rio will not be built in right-hand drive for Australia, and order books for the current models have closed ahead of the end of production mid-year.

However, the Kia Rio’s SUV counterpart, the Kia Stonic, will live-on in right-hand-drive for the time being, dealers have been advised.

Based on historical model lifecycles for Kia cars, the Stonic is due for replacement imminently – but it may continue in its current guise for a little longer.

The Kia Stonic is now six years old, having launched in Europe in 2017 and in Australia in 2021. Despite the expectation of a new model, no prototypes have yet been caught on camera undergoing preliminary testing.

MORE: Kia Rio orders closed in Australia, more than 500 to be delivered

This would suggest the current Kia Stonic will have an extended lifespan before it is replaced – or it may not be replaced at all, amid the focus on electric cars.

For now it is unclear if the Kia Stonic will receive another generation after 2025, and whether it would use petrol power or become an electric vehicle – serving as an entry point into Kia’s battery-powered range.

The Kia Stonic’s main market of Europe – where three in five examples built globally were sold last year – is preparing to introduce new emissions rules in 2025, which car makers say will no longer make producing small, affordable city cars financially viable.

Kia has announced plans to sell 14 electric vehicles by 2027, and the company has shown teaser images of a small city car which could replace the Rio, and possibly the Stonic in Europe.

MORE: Kia Rio dead in Australia when current model reaches end of line

Kia reported about 89,000 Stonics as sold globally last year – including about 55,000 in western and central Europe, 10,400 in Eastern Europe and 8500 in Australia.

In comparison, about 50,000 examples of the Kia Rio were built in Kia’s South Korean factories, for markets such as Europe and Australia – but not the US, South America, Russia or China, for which more than 115,000 Rio vehicles were produced last year.

Meanwhile, production delays and parts constraints mean Kia Australia continues to struggle with stock shortages for the Stonic and Rio.

Top-of-the-range GT-Line variants of both cars face longer wait times, due to shortages of their 1.0-litre turbo engines and dual-clutch automatic transmissions – rather than the less complex 1.4-litre non-turbo engine and six-speed manual or auto in standard versions.

Orders for the Rio GT-Line were paused in October 2022 due to six to 12 months of backorders, seemingly foreshadowing its demise this year.

Drive understands wait times on new Kia Stonic GT-Line orders are approximately six to 12 months – compared to less than six months for 1.4-litre Stonic S and Sport models.

As reported by Drive, the Kia Rio name will live on overseas – however the next-generation model is expected to be focused on markets such as South America and China, which have less stringent safety standards.

In addition to Australia, the new model will not be sold in Europe or the UK, where nearly two-thirds of all South Korea-produced Kia Rios were sold last year (but only about 20 per cent of all Kia Rios sold globally).

The post Kia Stonic safe in Australia after Rio axing – for now appeared first on Drive.