Following on from its world premiere at last September's Frankfurt Motor Show, Kia has now launched the three-door version of the new Rio supermini in the UK.

This is the first time that the model is available in a three-door guise with Kia expecting it to account for around 20 to 25 percent of the car's total sales.

The three-door model gets the same engine range and trim line-up as the five door model that went on sale last year but offers £600 saving compared to the equivalent Rio 5d with prices starting from £9,995 OTR.

It's a pretty scary situation if you think about it; while you're driving in the middle of a city street, the road suddenly opens and swallows up your car leaving you trapped inside with water pumping out from the ground around you.

But that's what happened to a woman in a Kio Rio sedan when she approached the intersection at Beech and North Streets in Manchester's North End just after 6 a.m. on Monday. What looked like a puddle turned out to be a sinkhole that trapped her car.

Looking to further associate itself with the world of motorsports after the first two motorsports championships in company's history in the 2011 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (CTSSC), Kia today unveiled two more track-ready models at the 2011 SEMA Show, the 2012 Rio 5-door B-Spec racecar and the Optima Hybrid pace car.

Developed in partnership with Kinetic Motorsports, the new Rio 5-door B-Spec racer will compete in the newly established showroom stock racing class against various subcompact rivals such as the Mazda2, Honda Fit and Ford Fiesta starting from 2012.

Less than 24 hours before the doors open at the 2011 edition of the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) Show and Kia Motors has revealed a pair of tricked concept models that will make their debut in Las Vegas.

Both the Rio 5-Door Surf and the Forte 5-Door Hockey were built in partnership with Antenna magazine.

Starting with the 2012 Rio, the surf-themed tuning project features a sunset-metallic golden-brown paint along with a custom body kit with a front splitter made of wood that matches the surfboard on the roof, and rear fascia with center-mount exhaust. A set of 17-inch three-piece gold wheels and a Thule roof rack that holds the surfboard complete the look.

About a month after announcing pricing for the new 2012 Rio five-door hatchback, Kia today released prices for its four-door sedan sibling that starts from $13,400 or *$14,150 if you include a $750 destination and handling fee, for the base model with a manual gearbox. That's $200 less than the equivalent 5-door variant.

If you prefer to not to change gears manually, the automatic transmission version of the base Rio sedan begins at $15,250.

Dear Carscoop readers, we would appreciate your input with this one. Please watch the video after the break and tell us what the heck could be going on in the head of the person behind the steering wheel of this silver Kia Rio sedan.

Agreed; we've all seen drivers run a red light either by mistake or because they don't give a damn about the own or other drivers' safety. But seriously, have you ever seen someone do anything like this? The only thing missing from the clip is the Benny Hill background music...

Kia Motors does not intend to build new plants despite increased worldwide demand for its products, the automaker’s co-CEO, Lee Sam-ung told Autonews in a recent presentation. The Korean company will instead focus its efforts on quality.

“Quantitative growth is important, but qualitative growth is also important. We plan to focus on improving product quality and our brand," Sam-ung said at the launch of the new Rio.

Unveiled earlier this year alongside its four-door sedan counterpart at the 2011 New York International Auto Show, the all-new 2012 Kia Rio 5-door hatchback launches in the States with a starting price of $13,600 for the manual gearbox model, not including a $750 destination and handling fee (*total $14,350).

If you prefer an automatic transmission, the starting price is $15,450, while the range-topping SX trim will set you back $18,750, with all prices including the $750 destination fee.

Although five-door versions of most B-segment cars are more popular in most markets, in order to satisfy those customers that don’t need the practicality of the two extra doors and prefer a more dynamic look, Kia launched a three-door version of its new Rio at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. Read more »

The all-new 4th generation Rio will reach Kia's UK showrooms on September 1 with on-the-road prices starting from £10,595 for the entry-level 1.25 "1" and reaching £14,895 for range-topping 1.4 CRDi "3" EcoDynamics.

The Rio will be available at launch only as a five-door model but a three-door bodystyle will be added to the range early next year.