Kia Rio

This is the new Kia Rio, designed by former Audi designer Peter Schreyer, which will go on sale this September in both three- and five-door forms.

Much of the design work was done in Kia's Californian design studio and the result is a car that's a world away from the unexciting Rio that's currently on sale.

The Rio will compete against the supermini mainstream such as Ford's Fiesta and VW's Polo, but with a distinct advantage prices are set to start from just over 10,000, including Kia's seven year warranty. The Kia also has a space advantage with slightly more leg and headroom in the back than most other superminis and a decent size boot, too.

Quality has also taken a step forward the dashboard features soft-touch materials, while even the switchgear now feels more upmarket.

You'll be able to buy a Rio with a choice of four engines. Petrol engines are a 108bhp 1.4 and 84bhp 1.2, while there are two diesels, too. The 1.4 diesel claims an official 80mpg and 94 g/km of CO2, while the headline grabber is a new 1.1-litre diesel.

This three-cylinder engine has 68bhp and instantly propels the Rio into the record books as the most efficient diesel-powered production car in the world with a claimed 88mpg and 85g/km.

With Renault saying that the 'real' CO2 output of its electric vehicles is 79g/km when the production of electricity in the UK is taken into account, the new Rio is further proof of the continued efficiency of internal combustion engine-powered cars.