All of us are aware about one of the oldest cars in India Fiat, but very few of us know that this car was launched by Padmini in partnership with Fiat and was Premier Padmini model but was popular as Fiat. 

After a long lapse the Indian car company Premier Ltd, formerly known as Premier Automobiles Ltd has made a great comeback in automobile segment with a compact SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) named RiO.

On Thursday, October 29, Maitreya Doshi, Chairman and MD of Premier Ltd. has revealed the Premier RiO. The mini car Rio is a compact sports drive. It has been designed keeping in view the multiple purposes of a car. It is neither too big like the larger utility vehicles on road nor too small to discomfort the passenger. It is somewhere between mid-sized sedan and larger passenger vehicles.

RiO is a five seater car with a price range of Rs 5.25-6 lakh (ex-showroom, Pune). The Rio is powered by a 1489cc turbodiesel engine developed with Puegeot’s TUD5 technology producing a maximum power of 64bhp@4000rpm and 152Nm@2250-3000rpm. The engine fulfills the Bharat Stage III norms and the company claims the fuel efficiency to be 16kpl. The car will be available in 5 different colors red, blue, white, silver, and black.

The car will be available in three variants, and the base model will feature power steering, front power windows, central locking and an MP3 audio system. The highest variant will get ABS and alloy wheels.

The vehicle, based on a Daihatsu model, will be sourced from China through a component supply agreement with Zotye group. RiO will be assembled at the company’s Pune plant and sell it through its dealer network in a phased roll out, starting with West and South India.

The company is also planning to expand its dealership network from 30 dealers to 100 in next six months across India. Premier is increasing its sales and service support. 

The RiO arrives with a three year warranty from the company. While the production has already commenced and the first cars are expected to hit selected dealer show rooms in first week of November, the car is expected to hit the roads in December this year.

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Posted by Naresh Koshti on 31 October, 2009 10:49:56 AM IST #