July25
The exhibitionist Kia Soul, seen in various concept car forms as far back as the Geneva Auto Show in March, will come to U.S. showrooms in April of 2009, the Korean automaker announced on Friday. Details are thin, but we do know power for the five-door hatchback will come from a choice of two four-cylinder gasoline engines: a 1.6-liter and a 2.0-liter.
European models will substitute the 2.0-liter for a 1.6-liter diesel engine, with the gasoline 1.6L offered there as well.
Back on July 16, Kia released more images of the production Soul hatchback. The automaker recently confirmed that the funky four-door would retain the Soul name, which was first used on the concept version. The road-going hatch will debut Oct. 2 at the Paris auto show.
The Soul will be made in Korea with an eye toward customization, indicating Kia is targeting the small-car tuner market pioneered by Toyota’s Scion line.
The tall hatchback is pulled exclusively by the front wheels, and there is no all- or four-wheel drive system in the works.
As previously reported, the engines will drive the front wheels through a five-speed automatic transmission; a rarity in the segment. The European diesel versions will debut with six-speed manual gearboxes, with automatics joining them later on in the year.
Kia says it feels the Soul name reflects how passionately buyers will feel about the car, and it is also a bit of a play on words as the Korean automaker has its headquarters in Seoul.
“Reaction from the media and public to the three Soul concept cars seen at the Geneva Show in March and shown subsequently at other international events, has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Hyoung-Keun Lee, Senior Executive Vice President and COO. “This reaction, plus the fact that both physically and emotionally, the Soul concept cars are so closely related to the new Kia Soul production car, made it a natural choice to retain this evocative name.”
The interiors of the Soul are to set a new standard for the brand, Kia sources say. They will reflect the interiors of the three concept versions of the car shown at Geneva, and will be very close to the production cars’.
When the Soul debuted in 2006 as a concept, Tom Kearns, chief designer for KMA said, “the Soul really was a collaborative effort between our design studio in California and our design studio in Korea [...] We went so far as to send one of our California designers to Korea for a month and half during the project.”
The Soul will be aimed at a young-at-heart, fashion-conscious demographic, and Kia will offer a slew of options that aim to personalize their Soul, in a similar vein as the MINI range, with new trim and color options coming every six to 12 months. Production of the Soul is due to start in Korea in September, with the China market producing its own in December 2009.
Isn’t this properly called the Kia Seoul?
Cooler than any scion and not gay like a Mini. It’s a winner.
file this under no **** shirlock
Looking at the pics… this is what the 2nd generation xB should have turned into… not that rediculous thing it is now.
mayer_ray_nagin, when it will get darker (sometimes in October) test drive Mini in the evening (so neighbors want take you for a gay). It handles great and has tremendous transmission. I hope that I am still hetero, ’cause I really dig this little thing.
Soul is perfectly positioned to compete with both xB and xD. And there’s a lesson here that Ford and GM all too often miss: when certain aspects of a concept car generate a lot of favorable buzz, those aspects should be carried over to production.
I think it will compete more with xD then xB. I don’t see that many xB’s on the road anymore. The past model was much more successful. Current xB is completing with Camry and Matrix at the same time.
… and ‘mayer’, if you do take that test drive in the dark, make sure it’s not the ‘S’ turbo … you’re gambling with getting a lemon that produces a FRIGHTENING start-up noise that makes you want to return the car for a full refund. A $30k MINI shouldn’t make you look gay AND make you regret ever paying through the nose for the experience a $15k Kia Rio wouldn’t provide.
Will anyone buy a 1.6 CUV even though its small? Kia would be better off sticking with just the 2.0
My only problem with all these 100hp minicars is that people drive them like they are 200hp. You can’t just pull out infront of someone in traffic with one of these things. 10 seconds 0-60 is long enough to get you in big-time trouble around here. I just about ran all over a little Accent hatchback yesterday b/c the cellphone yacking broad behind the wheel thought she had enough room to pull out infront of me and get up to road speed in time. I was doing 60… she was doing 35 by the time I caught her. Luckily my brakes work very well.
it probably will come with 2.0L one to US, 1.6L probably for Europe and Asia. I doubt it will come with manual stateside as well. And when you have manual the difference between 1.6L and 2.0L is not that dramatic: you accelerate fraction of a second faster.
impulsive, I heard only good things about Mini. Granted, there are lemons, but I nothing hit the news or blogosphere. My acquaintance blew clutch at 60K miles and BMW replaced it on it’s own dime. It was a few months and over 10K miles after warranty expired. If you have personal experience with Mini please advise, ’cause I seriously was thinking for Clubman as a runaround (not to look too gay).
@RaineMan -> I agree with you 100%
For heaven’s sake don’t get a Clubman… they look like ass. Get a Cooper S.
RaineMan, there is no space for dog in Cooper! I don’t even need S, I tried it and it is faster then plain Jane, but not $3,500 faster!. BTW, I am not sure that horsepower and speed is a cure for a cellphone or blond/brunette on a cellphone. I believe it is aggravating problem.
i’d be afraid that this car would just take my soul…
Xyunya… if you have a dog stay away from anything with leather seats. Clubman ain’t that much more roomy. Thought about something like a WRX wagon? Plenty of room and decent speed there too.
Clubman is evil, and is an example of BMW’s greed for more market share.
‘xyunya’, go to any site that has MINI owners telling their own experiences … they’re not my personal experiences as I don’t own one. The base MINI doesn’t have the noise issue, only the S. And, yes, the Clubman looks like ass … just like ‘Crackerhemi’.
Of course we know you don’t own a Mini. They may be gay (makes it a perfect dream car for you), but they are far out of your price range. What this market needs is a cheap affordable car for faggots like implusive.
Minis are hella gay. I learned the term ‘hella’ from a rap song. Now I loves me some gangsta rap. Holla!
Man, that cage-rattling is something else, ‘crackwhore’. Good work … the bananas are on their way. They’re being delivered in your used Aveo that you’re financing over 60 months.
Man, that monkey orgy cage-rattling is something else, faggot implusive. Good work; the bananas are on their way. They’re being delivered in your used Aveo that you’re financing over 60 months.
I sold my soul for some Sabbath tickets in the 70’s so I guess I won’t be buying one of these. Who thought I’d still be reaping the benefits of that deal 3 decades later?
boring.
Mini Cooper is almost the best car in the world!
almost eh
Ooohhh…Sabbath!!!!! Love them, and their modern spiritual successors Soundgarden…
I think Kia should ship the Ceed over - it’s everywhere in Greece, and it’s a slick little car with awesome fit/finish and decent performance. Nicely designed - would be a real winner.
The new Kia Forte & the current Hyundai Elantra Touring are both on the Cee’d platform. fyi.
Mini Cooper may almost be the best car in the world, but it most certainly is way more expensive than the Soul and the xD (xB and tC don’t count, they have both gotten bigger). For what this is worth, it’s nice to look at. Hyundai do make nice subcompacts. The Getz has been compared alongside the Honda Fit, Holden Barina and Suzuki Swift and it is not a bad car in comparison, especially taking price as a factor. I am always amazed that we are not getting the Getz here, but it’s actually better if it comes in the form of the Soul.
RaineMan, thanks for advise. Had a Suby, it was problematic also did not like shaking of the engine, which increases with age. Clubman has rear seats folding flat, so the beast can stand in the back. “Regular” Mini seats don’t fold flat they are angled.