That the Premier Rio is hardly visible on the roads isn’t a deterrent for the company and they are planning on getting an updated version of the Premier Rio in the market by Diwali this year. The blow that the company would be giving to the competition would be in the form of both petrol and diesel engines on this compact SUV. The outdated 1.5 liter Peugeot engine would be axed in favor of India’s favorite diesel engine, the 1.3 multijet. The petrol engine is also said to be borrowed from Fiat and would most likely be a 1.2 liter unit.
The Rio would get an all new interior package and one which would certainly be called as upmarket. Also Premier have tuned the engines to be very fuel efficient and also refined at the same time. Slight external revisions are also the order of the day and option of bigger wheels would also be given. Also, the Premier Rio wouldn’t be alone in the field now and there would also be the compact Mahindra Xylo mini MPV to contend with. A relatively unknown segment would now blossom into a full fledged one, thanks to Premier Automobiles.
Sales of the Rio never took off due to the company not advertising the car in the right manner and also the lack of sales and service centers. Moreover, Premier’s previous image is still very much etched in the minds of car buying public and it is most likely that the company would resort to getting a biggie brand ambassador on board to promote its products.
There is hardly any ad from the company stating the launch of its new/ BSIV compliant models. I stay at Bokaro in Jharkhand and travel to Kolkata frequently. Have not seen any Rio on the road till date. Shows the company has to open up further dealer networks and after sales support services before it can be taken seriously. price also needs to be seriously competitive with financing options also. The USP of the vehicle. its looks and price needs to be bettered.