2010 Kia Soul
It was way back at the 2006 Detroit auto show when Kia first pulled the wraps of its SOUL concept. Designed jointly by Kia's California and Korea design studios, the SOUL was a four-door, four-seat, boxy, and youthful-looking entry-level vehicle that seemed poised to take on market players like the Scion xB, should its day ever come.
After three more stylized takes on the SOUL shown at Geneva earlier this year, then spy shots of production prototypes, and, most recently, leaked internal photos, Kia has finally announced the production Soul (its name is lower case now) will make its production debut at the 2008 Paris auto show in October. And Kia's even released a preliminary photo at right to prove it.
2006 Kia SOUL concept
Surprisingly, it doesn't appear that the Soul has changed all that much in the intervening years between concept and production. Sure, the fender flares aren't quite as aggressively pronounced, the door handles have been replaced with plainer, more conventional items, and the front fender grilles aren't quite as stylish as on the original concept version. But other than that, the production Soul looks close to its concept counterpart -- at least on the outside -- right down to the rearward-rising beltline and trapezoidal taillights. In fact, it looks nearly identical to this year's Geneva SOUL concepts (Burner, Diva, and Searcher).
When we saw the first SOUL concept in Detroit, it was powered by a 2.0L, four-cylinder mill, feeding through a five-speed automatic to the front wheels. Designed to represent the Korean automaker's "fun side," a host of interior gadgetry was to be found, including USB ports for uploading digital music to the stereo, MP3 capability, a rearview monitor, an integrated notebook computer and video-game monitor, and adaptive cruise control. How much of that technology makes it into the production car and at what price remains to be seen. Remember, the Soul will be marketed as a budget-priced entry in the company's lineup.
Kia says production of the Soul will begin in September -- shortly before its Paris world debut -- and will provide a platform for individuality when it arrives in showrooms, with the ability to match the car to the owner's personality. To us, that means Kia is taking firm aim at the youth-oriented customization market that Scion has cashed in on. If said market sees Kia as a viable competitor, we're guessing Scion could have a good old-fashioned showdown on its hands.
Kia SOUL Burner concept
Kia SOUL Burner concept interior
Kia SOUL Diva concept
Kia SOUL Searcher concept