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Premier Rio launched – price Rs 5.95 l for top end LX version

Wednesday, October 28, 2009, 14:50, written by Auto Sr. Reporter

Premier Rio min SUV launched – no four wheel drive, though.

So here we have our ‘curious’ launch of the month – the Premier Rio mini-SUV. We had written about the upcoming launch of the Premier Rio a few days back.

The Premier Rio really is a curious vehicle in India. India’s first car from China, and from the company that gave us the Premier Padmini too.

Without much beating about the bush, here is what we have come to know.

Photo: Premier Rio

Photo: Premier Rio

Engine

All variants of the Rio feature the Peugeot TUD5 engine with the addition of a turbocharger, now at 1489 cc producing 65 bhp at 4000 rpm, and 152 Nm of torque at 2250-3000 rpm. Unlike what we thought earlier, the Premier Rio does not meet BS IV emission standards; BS III is what you get. Premier Auto claims a fuel efficiency of 16 kilometers to the litre for the Rio. Five gears, manual transmission.

Rio EX

The Premier Rio will be launched in three versions. There is no difference between the engines of the three versions. The base model Rio is priced at Rs 5.25 lakh, ex-showroom Pune. Add another Rs 50,000 or so to that, and you get the on-road price. Rs 5.75 lakh is not cheap, but then that is the price of a medium sized hatch in India. What do you get for that? Power steering, front power windows and central locking are there, plus an MP3 enabled audio system. No mention of air conditioning for the EX, sadly.

Rio DX

This is the mid-level variant, and it is priced at Rs 5.50 lakh ex-showroom, Pune. We are not sure if ABS would be available in this model. Alloy wheels are likely.

Rio LX

This is the top end variant. Priced at Rs 5.95 lakh, the Rio DX gets ABS, and alloy wheels. No all-wheel drive / 4WD. Four wheel drive would be fantastic for such a small SUV. The orginal Daihatsu Terios and the Zotye Rio have an AWD option, but it not not available for the Indian Rio. No airbags on the top end version, either.

We are still waiting for any update on the AWD situation. (Correction. No four wheel drive.) We will be updating this page as soon as we get any info on that.

While Premier Auto could not offer Bharat Stage IV emission compliance at the time of the launch, they are aiming for that, says the company.

Colours

Red, blue, white, silver and black.

Competition

Well, any hatchback could be a competition at this price. But then again, the market may not be very welcoming to a Chinese car, even though you could point out its Toyota/ Daihatsu family tree. And Premier does not enjoy a great reputation after their flops with the Peugeot 309 more than a decade back.

But your low-end Boleros, Invaders, and even the cheapest Scorpio might face some competition from the Premier Rio in some markets. The Bolero has several low end models where the maximum horsepower is 63 bhp and maximum torque 180 Nm. Suddenly, the light-weight Rio does not seem very underpowered.

Frankly, we want to see the Premier Rio succeed. Nothing is more inspiring that a company down in the dumps coming out with a new niche product, and making it work. Whether that will happen or not, we shall see soon.


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23 Responses to “Premier Rio launched – price Rs 5.95 l for top end LX version”

  1. Mohammed Shifah said on Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 13:53

    Sir, i want d contact no. of any dealers of ‘premier rio ‘ in kerala

  2. Fazlur Rehman Khan said on Wednesday, November 18, 2009, 0:39

    Sir I am very much interested in Premier Rio , Please inform the phone number of its Dealer in New Bombay and Poona.

  3. titoswu said on Sunday, November 22, 2009, 11:52

    sir, kindly give me the nearest dealer”s add. I am from Dimapur nagaland

  4. Sameer Gogoi said on Friday, November 27, 2009, 0:21

    Is this the same SUV ? which we saw in the 2008 Auto Expo. It will really do well in the market. I want to drive the vehicle in Assam.

  5. nilay patel said on Monday, November 30, 2009, 14:12

    pl.give me address of rio-suv delear in ahmedabad,gujarat.

  6. gyembo said on Tuesday, December 1, 2009, 12:01

    i m interested in this premeir rio car from bhutan. can u please list dealers in bhutan or near by towns in india

  7. ravindra saste said on Thursday, December 3, 2009, 9:13

    sir i want to address or phone no.in pune dealers,buy a new Rio please its very urgent.

  8. vaishakh said on Thursday, December 3, 2009, 12:02

    i am in bangalore,i couldnt find any dealers in bangalore.why?is it possible for me to do a test drive in bangalore?please let me know.
    my mob no#09740929575

  9. Dr. Syd Ali said on Sunday, December 6, 2009, 11:55

    When will it be available in Hyderabad,AP? And who will be the dealers?

  10. SUDEEP JAIN said on Monday, December 7, 2009, 13:44

    in which model Air Conditioner available

  11. Vishal baheti said on Monday, December 7, 2009, 16:13

    its a gr8 design can i hv d pleasure what is the practical milage of rio???/i m from assam

  12. rachit said on Wednesday, December 9, 2009, 11:09

    need details of dealer in Delhi. does the company have a direct website?

  13. Marvel said on Wednesday, December 9, 2009, 13:47

    Rio has 65 BHP..

  14. S.Devanesan said on Tuesday, December 15, 2009, 19:24

    i want dealership salem or namakkal in tamilnadu

  15. inderr kumar said on Thursday, December 17, 2009, 21:54

    i need details of dealer in jaipur please meet me
    my mobile 09314007957

  16. jagabandhu said on Tuesday, December 22, 2009, 19:22

    i wnt 2 knw our nearest dealer of bbsr,orissa.

  17. VIRAT PACHAURI said on Tuesday, December 22, 2009, 21:02

    SIR. I WANT PREMIER RIO DEALERSHIP IN ALIGARH UP MY PH NO_ 09999786596 09997091389 THANKS.

  18. Anil Madhav Sanapala said on Friday, December 25, 2009, 21:54

    Premier got a fresh start with their RIO brand.Contact “Madhava Premier” at 9550811671 for a test drive of RIO in Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam and Vijayanagaram.We are also authorized dealers of Premier Roadstar and Premier Sigma variants.Contact “Madhava Premier” at 9550811671 before you invest into your Car for a Price Consultation.

  19. raju said on Saturday, December 26, 2009, 13:36

    sir, can you please give me the name, & contact details of the dealer in gujarat for the RIO, in GUjarat, as I have taken interest in this vehicle.

  20. P.RADHA KRISHNAN said on Monday, December 28, 2009, 11:06

    Sir,kindly give me the contact details of the dealer at MADURAI,TAMILNADU.

  21. Mayank Verma said on Wednesday, January 6, 2010, 11:43

    I want to know ,when PREMIER RIO is being launched in Himachal Pradesh & Chandigarh?

  22. amit singh said on Friday, January 15, 2010, 11:32

    want a dealer ship in jharkhand (jamshedpur)

  23. SUDEEP TIGGA said on Friday, January 22, 2010, 7:32

    SIR I WANT PREMIER RIO DEALERSHIP IN RANCHI TOWN,JHARKHAND,I HAVE GOOD SPACE FOR SHOWROOM & SERVICING CENTRE AT RANCHI TOWN.MY PH NO-9431110124,9386910124,THANKS.

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