By Justin Berkowitz
March 14, 2008
Kia isn't wasn't planning on revealing its new Soul compact hatch until September at the Paris Auto Show. But alas, production pictures have mysteriously popped-up on the internet. Kia showed several embarrassingly named "tuned" versions of the car at the Geneva Auto Show, such as "Soul Burner" and "Soul Diva" and "Soul Searcher." The regular Soul looks more than a little bit like the unholy fruit of a union between a Scion xB and the Saab 9-X BioHybrid. Still, it's nice to see Kia try to inject some style into their cars, even if the business plan for Kia more realistically is "follow" instead of "lead." But why follow Scion into a land of not-so-hot sales? Whether or not this car is even destined for America is still an open question, apparently. But you can bet your milk money that Kia wants a piece of the new small car market with something more interesting than the Rio5.
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POWERED
March 14th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
I’d like to see the specs on this thing to compare with the ‘08 xB.
I really hope Kia brings this to the US. It would give their lineup an interesting unique vehicle not shared with Hyundai. I love this style vehicle for its utility. Now if Kia can make it fun to hoon around in with a 5-speed I may have to trade in my Frontier.
March 14th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Based on the accompanying picture, it just screams ‘Scion (xB in particular) clone’ to me.
Of course, this is just one picture, so I most likely will be proven wrong later on…
March 14th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
That’s why I’d like to see the specs. I’m curious if the overall dimensions are smaller. I’ve read that this one will have the Kia 2.0. I’m averaging over 28mpg in my ‘08 xB so the Soul with a smaller motor and hopefully lighter weight should make 30+ doable.
March 14th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
Or, Seoul…
March 14th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
THIS kind of styling is exactly what the ‘08 Scions SHOULD have received. Youthful with wide market appeal. Instead, we got Fat Elvis.
March 14th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
Bring it here. Bring it here now.
March 15th, 2008 at 11:02 am
I have to agree. It looks better than the latest version from Toyota.
March 15th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
I like the styling. Kia hired Peter Schreyer, the guy who styled lots of late 90s Audis. Now we’re seeing the results.