The Kia Rhino was a medium truck that Kia built from 1988 to 2004. It used a Hino Ranger chassis with a cabin based on the Mazda Titan, and when it was discontinued in September 2004 Kia left the medium truck market entirely.
Kia Rhino at a glance
| Maker | Kia Motors |
|---|---|
| Production | 1988–September 2004 |
| First generation | 1988–1998 |
| Second generation | New Rhino, 1998–2004 |
| Chassis | Hino Ranger, third generation FD, then fourth generation |
| Cabin | based on the Mazda Titan, second generation |
| Engines | Hino H07C, then Kia K6700 (K6), then K7 based on the H07D |
| Parking brake | mechanical, air-operated from 2000 |
Based mainly on one source, the Korean Wikipedia article on the Rhino; no free photograph of the truck was found.
History of the Kia Rhino
The first Rhino was launched in 1988 as the successor to the Kia Boxer. Its chassis came from the third-generation Hino Ranger, specifically the FD version, while the cabin was based on the second-generation Mazda Titan and then improved by Kia. The engine was Hino’s H07C, the same unit used in the Kia AM818 Cosmos bus. The parking brake was a mechanical type of the kind used on cars and vans.
1993 changes
A minor change in 1993 turned the radiator grille from unpainted to black and added a safety window in the passenger door. At the same time the Hino engine was replaced by Kia’s own K6700, also called K6.
New Rhino (1998)
The second generation arrived in 1998 as the combined successor of the first Rhino and the second-generation Boxer. It was based on the fourth-generation Hino Ranger and used the K7 engine, developed from Hino’s H07D, the same engine that went into the New Cosmos bus. The radiator grille was horizontal at first and became vertical from 2000; the mechanical parking brake gave way to an air-operated system in 2000, and from 2001 the steering wheel was changed to the type used by Hyundai.
The New Rhino was discontinued in September 2004. It could not meet the emission rules introduced that year, and it overlapped in the market with the Hyundai Mega Truck, so Kia dropped it together with the Pamax and without a successor. That ended Kia’s medium truck business, although the company showed the Granroad in October 2025, which leaves room for a return to the class.
Design and features
- Hino chassis: third-generation Ranger FD at first, fourth-generation later.
- Mazda-style cabin: based on the Mazda Titan and developed further by Kia.
- Own engines: the Hino H07C gave way to Kia’s K6 and K7 units.
- End of a line: its withdrawal in 2004 closed Kia’s medium truck range.
Kia Rhino versions
- Rhino (1988–1998): Hino Ranger FD chassis, H07C then K6 engine.
- New Rhino (1998–2004): fourth-generation Ranger base, K7 engine.
- 2000 update: vertical grille and air-operated parking brake.
- 2001 update: Hyundai-type steering wheel.
The Rhino replaced the Kia Boxer and was dropped together with the Pamax; its H07D-based engine also went into the Kia Cosmos bus. More Kia models are in the Kia collection.
Sources
- Kia Rhino, Korean Wikipedia: generations, chassis, engines, updates, end of production
- Hino Ranger, English Wikipedia: the chassis the Rhino was built on
