This is the true litmus test of any car. The Premier Rio+ may be aesthetically pleasing and has simple and basic interior. But it needs good drivability within city and on the highway for customers to adopt it. Although the demands may sound simple, it is actually the tallest order for any car.
Has the Rio cracked it? Let’s find out:
What powers the Rio?
The biggest problem (that even management of Premier Auto admits) that the old Rio faced was a lack of BSIV complaint engine. The old Rio only met BSIII norms due to which it could not be sold in major cities which is the actual target market of the Rio.
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The Premier Rio+ now looks chic and stylish from the outside. But is it the same story on the inside? Is the build quality right for the Indian conditions? How good is the quality of plastics? Is it spacious enough to accommodate an average family with luggage?
Let’s find out:
The number of changes made to the interior of the refreshed Premier Rio are certainly less than those made to the exterior. The 2 main changes are – beige interiors and a new steering wheel and that’s about it.
Over the years, the Indian automotive market has matured from small hatchbacks to entry sedans to C+ sedans. This year, the focus of the manufacturers will be on two key segments –Compact Sedans and Compact SUVs.
Maruti Suzuki recently launched their contender for the CS market – Swift Dzire and rest of the manufacturers such as Tata and Mahindra are expected to follow suit.
Coming to the Compact SUV market; now this is going to be extremely interesting. Ford, Renault and Mahindra are honing their challengers as we speak. But little known rival is already present in the market from a long forgotten company called ‘Premier Auto’. Does it ring a bell?
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When Premier launched the Rio in late 2009, they had the idea bang on – A small cheap SUV to tackle potholes and provide good cargo space for daily commutes.
Unfortunately, they failed to capitalize on the idea because the product was not-so bang on. They basically rebadged the Zotye Nomad and brought it to India. This did not go very well with the Indian customers. So Premier has gone back to drawing board to rethink their strategy.
Our good buddies at Motorbeam have snapped a few pictures of the Facelifted Rio in Pune. They report that there were a few changes to the Rio such as:
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Do you know about a little known compact SUV called the Premier Rio? If you don’t, no need to worry as many people are yet to see a sRio on the road. Basically the Rio is a rebadged Zotye Nomad which is imported in form of CKD from China and sold in India as a Premier Rio. The idea of a compact SUV in under 5 lakhs was (and still is) a very interesting one, but Premier failed to capitalize on it and have only sold 2000 units so far.
With an outdated diesel engine, Premier chose not to enter the BS4 cities and played its game in smaller towns and cities. Premier Automobiles have rung their long lost partner Fiat to plonk the most popular diesel engine – Fiat Multijet in the Rio. This is the same engine that powers most diesel cars in India.
Maitreya Doshi, Chairman and Managing Director of Premier told EconomicTimes -
We have been in talks with Fiat for quite some time. There are a couple of vehicles in Italy right now which are being tested; once the technical integration is ready, we will enter into a component supply agreement with Fiat.
Of course, just an engine change will not work for the Rio and Premier knows it. So the company is also focusing on few improvements like better NVH and improved interiors. The company is gunning for a very conservative volume of 8,000 to 9,000 units in a year.
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Back in late 2009, Premier launched its mini SUV Rio in India and with limited dealers, lack of a BS4 variant and brand visibility, its no surprise that Rio has not found too many homes. To pep things up, Premier is working on a facelifted edition of the Rio fitted with a Multi-jet diesel engine.
The petrol will be a 1.2 L engine producing 77PS and 104nm of torque while the existing diesel displacing 1.5 L engine producing 65PS and 152 Nm of torque is expected to carry on.
Note – Image used in the Zotye EV using the Rio as the donor model.
When we asked Premier about the Rio’s BS4 plan, this is what they had replied -
Mumbai-based Premier Automotive spokeswoman to Indian Autos Blog -
At this moment, we are in discussions with various engine manufacturers, including FIAT, for a Euro IV engine for the RiO. The outcome of these will be known shortly. Preliminary tests are currently being conducted to determine engine compatibility for the RiO. The current situation is that we are in a pre-production mode and a few vehicles have been seeded in the market to gauge initial market response. The feedback has been very positive, and based on this the product has now been fine tuned to meet customer expectations.
The Multi-jet Rio could give Premier access to crucial BS4 markets where a compact SUV concept is unheard of. If priced right, the Rio could experience a surge in sales. Premier has to work out a marketing campaign pulling into the frame factors like lack of parking space, high fuel cost, advantages of a high seating position, the Rio’s looks, features and the fuel efficiency of the award-winning Multi-jet diesel engine.
Goa On Wheels has carried photographs and details of the refreshed Premier Rio with beige interiors from a showroom. There’s no change to the mechanical setup, the 1.3-liter Multi-jet BS4 engine transplant has not yet taken place suggesting that a festive season or Auto Expo debut is likely.
Goa On Wheels states that the beige stimulates the interiors. The headliner is also bathed in beige giving the interiors an airy feel. Quality has been stepped up and the new gear knob looks snazzy. The interior quality is marginally better and the door panels are beige treated too.
Premier is working out plans for a new Rio. A cosmetically overhauled Rio is in the testing phase and the 1.3L Multi-jet motor will land up under its hood. This will make the Rio a silent, refined and more drivable vehicle. There are still no sports utility vehicles under 7 lakh rupees in India. The Rio continues to be this segment’s torchbearer.
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IndianAutosBlog broke the story of Premier testing the Rio with a BS4-compliant Multi-jet engine yesterday and this afternoon we have more to add. Caught testing by our friends at OnCars.in, a cosmetically upgraded variant was doing rounds around Pune. If the badge is an indication to go by, the engine on test seems to be the same turbocharged 1.5-liter sourced from Peugeot.
The Zotye Nomad II as it is referred to in China, uses 1.3-, 1.5- and 1.6-liter Mitsubishi-sourced petrol engines. The upgraded vehicle is also offered with beige interiors. Petrol engines might not work out very well for our market, so Premier introduced it with only a diesel heart. Premier might offer the 1.3-liter Multi-jet engine to cities and the 1.5-liter engine might continue its duty in rural and semi-urban areas. A Diwali-time launch can be on the cards, but there’s no official word on it.
This is the true litmus test of any car. The Premier Rio+ may be aesthetically pleasing and has simple and basic interior. But it needs good drivability within city and on the highway for customers to adopt it. Although the demands may sound simple, it is actually the tallest order for any car.
