It may be cliché to stick a bunch of Xs and Rs on a tweaked econobox and call it a performance brand, but some clichés are just fine for getting the job done. For Kia, XR will mean performance — that is, turbocharging in Europe, supercharging for US-bound cars. Kia told Autocar it's calling that strategy "glocal" — offering a global brand but localized for the specifics of individual markets. The company telegraphed its plans by way of a tricked-out, XR-badged C'eed hatch (above), revealed at a press function in Korea last week. It's all part of a plan to expand Kia sales in the US from 315,000 units last year to 627,000 by 2010. And that's just fine, because cheap, supercharged hatchbacks make us daydream of new ideas for a racing series. – Mike Spinelli

Hot Kias to be called XR [Autocar]

Related:
Droptop C'eed: Kia to Show Concept Cabrio in Geneva [internal]

High on the list of cars people probably aren't exactly excited about at the Geneva Auto Show is the Kia Rio Hybrid (regular Rio pictured), but that doesn't mean it isn't important. Sure it doesn't have the good looks of a new Maserati, or the mind blowing engineering of a highly-tuned Porsche, but it's got spunk... and a 90-horsepower four banger with a 12-kilowatt electric motor. Kia is working to put 4,000 Rio Hybrids in service in Korea in order to test them under real world conditions. The little car won't make it to these shores until 2008-09 at the earliest, so you can stop holding your breath. – Matt Hardigree

2007 Geneva Auto Show Preview: Kia Rio Hybrid [Edmunds - Inside Line]

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TechArt's Porsche GT Street Coming to Geneva [Internal]

Our Kia Rio hybrid tipster says some of the shots he received in his P.O. box have surfaced on CarSpyShots, including one showing the dash gauges (pictured). You'll notice the "charge/assist" gauge, which either means the model's got a hybrid-drive system, or someone's Korean-to-English dictionary has some pages stuck together.

2007 Kia Rio (Pride) Hybrid/Rio Facelift (China) [CarSpyShots.net]

Related:
Spy Photos: Kia Pride Hybrid? [internal]

We only have one joke that goes along with the award of "most improved," an honor mainly reserved for stoners whose moms worked in the high-school office. Now, Autobytel has named the 2006 Kia Rio Most Improved New Car for 2006, meaning it offers a better ride and more standard safety features, passenger space and horsepower than its competitors. With the base Rio starting at $11,110 (inc. destination), there's not much in its range to compare it with. Still, it's good to know at least one carmaker cares about stoners' English majors' motoring needs.

Related:
Kia s New Rio: First-Time Buyer Discount [internal]

According to AutoWeek, Kia may be leading the race up from the bottom, with a new entry-level Rio that's larger, quicker and better stocked than the econobox it replaces. With few competitors in the $10,000-$15,000 range, Kia has a relatively open field, at least until new minicars from Toyota and Honda hit the market sometime next year. That means Kia's introduction of features such as variable valve timing, six standard airbags and optional ABS, which will soon become the expected entry kit, are an important step, though the company expects 70 percent of sales to come from the well-appointed LX model, which starts at $12,985.

Kia's redesigned '06 Rio features more space, side airbags [AutoWeek]

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Frankfurt Premiere: Kia Multi-S Concept Could Hit the Market [internal]