More about Kia Soul: Soul Forum, Soul Spy Shots, Soul Burner, Soul Searcher, Soul Diva
Archive for March, 2008
2010 Kia Soul
Geneva Motor Show gave us the first opportunity to get close to the exciting trio of Kia Soul concepts. With funky looking Kia Soul Searcher, Soul Diva and Soul Burner, we have been given a taste of what the production version of Kia Soul will look like when it makes an International debut at Paris Motor Show later this year.
Today, we are further fueling the excitement by revealing our latest series of spy shots showing you exclusive preview of the production ready Kia Soul.
Kia’s sharply-stylish new segment-busting Soul is set to win over minds as well as hearts at the Paris Salon de l’Automobile in October (where it will make it’s official world debut), with confirmation that the urban crossover will come to Europe next year with a choice of fuel-efficient petrol and diesel engines.
Kia Soul is a five-door hatchback with front-wheel drive, a high roofline and an unusually long wheelbase. The key elements behind Soul’s striking appearance are its vertical measurements. Overall height is 1,610 mm but the base of the windscreen is 135 mm higher than a typical compact car, the hip-points are 120 mm higher and the ground clearance is raised by 45 mm.
Access to the new Kia Soul’s spacious interior is remarkably easy and the cabin will deliver head, leg and shoulder room that matches or beats many larger vehicles. Generous headroom (1020/1005 mm front/rear), legroom (1070/990 mm front/rear) and shoulder room (1403/1400 mm front/rear) will ensure Soul can easily adapt to the changing demands of its owner when pressed into giving friends or family a lift!
Kia Soul will go on sale in mainland Europe next February with a choice 126 ps diesel and petrol engines. The 1,6L diesel engine generates 126 ps at 4,000 rpm and maximum torque of 255 Nm at 2,000 rpm, while the all-aluminium petrol engine also produces 126 ps at 6,300 rpm and 156 Nm of torque at 4,200 rpm.
Engines fitted to the Kia Soul will be based on those already found on a hugely successful, European-built, Kia cee’d. Kia Soul will also have choice of manual or automatic transmissions, depending on model. Right-hand drive production is due to start in March.
You might also want to see the all-new Kia Soul Forums:
My Name is Ryan and I’m 22 years old. I live in Long Island, New York and go to college in Chicago, Illinois for Traditional animation, which means drawing is my favorite hobby and then cars.
At first I didn’t want to go to college because of majority of students graduating with debt, so I took off two years after High school working two full-time jobs. Which is where the source of my money came from to heavily modify my car.
A couple years ago I didnt know too much about cars and had no plans to mod my car, but being around friends who were extrememly in the tuner scene, it influenced me.
How long have you owned your Spectra?
I’m the only owner of this car since June of 2005.
What cars did you own before?
Previously I owned a $400 1993 Pontiac Grand Am.
Honestly, what was your intention when you bought your Spectra?
Well my grand ams transmission failed after I replaced it so I was lookng for a car with better conditions. I was originally looking for a used daily driver, and a 2004 Suzuki Forenza fit my description at the time. As I was at the Suzuki dealership a salesman was offering me to purchase a 2004 Kia Optima, I noticed this black car sitting alone in the corner as if I were meant to purchase it.
In a few words, describe the style of your Spectra?
Sleek and Sexy. I love BMW’s, so the style of those cars attracts me a lot and was my influence.
The Kia SOUL Diva has been created as a fashion accessory for a style-conscious young-at-heart woman who regards her car to be as important as her entire outfit. SOUL Diva is like a supermodel with an aura of glamour, a bit flashy but playful and fun!
“I never thought I would be putting so much gold on a car, but the SOUL Diva is the right type of car for this kind of treatment,” comments Guillaume. The exterior sparkles with metallic white paint in bright contrast to elements that would normally be in body-colour or chrome — such as door handles and wheel trims – accented in gold.
“We have applied an “overlapping circle motif” that echoes current handbag designs to the front grilles, panoramic glass roof and seats. SOUL Diva’s bumper treatment is more refined than the other concept cars, but the gold roof rails and large, 19-inch diameter gold-finished alloy wheels with their unique 225/45 tyres and overlapping circles tread pattern, are certainly not self-effacing,” observes Guillaume.
Inside, SOUL Diva presents a black, white and gold world of leather and glitter – all beautifully and evenly lit by the full-length tinted glass panoramic roof.
The sweeping dashboard is covered in white leather and the gold-trimmed centre stack and outer air vents appear to lounge across the surface. A special two-spoke steering wheel is trimmed in white leather as befits its fashion accessory role.
Turning the cabin into a stylish lounge, the seats are upholstered in glossy black imitation leather using ‘quilted’ stitching and trimmed to look like sofas. Even the cabin floor presents a tactile treat, with black long-pile ‘Pony-hide’ carpet that simply begs to be stroked.
Click image to enlarge!
In complete contrast to its Geneva Show co-stars, the Kia SOUL Searcher is the car that provides a haven of tranquillity within the urban jungle, a comfort-zone on four wheels.
“With the SOUL Searcher we set out to capture the spirit of Korean and Far Eastern culture with a focus on achieving personal inner peace. We also looked to embody both the Chinese Chan (quietude) and Japanese Zen (meditation) and create a calm cocoon for the occupants. The colours are muted, the textures are soft and the road presence is discreet,” states Guillaume.
SOUL Searcher is painted in pale green-grey solid paint, with body-cladding and added parts in a lighter pale cream. The rear of the body, not just the rear bumper, is also painted pale cream, as are the 18-inch alloy wheels fitted with 205/60 tyres.
The unique design motif for SOUL Searcher is a street map, an abstraction that is not city-specific but one that simplifies the complexity of urban road networks and banishes all sense of pandemonium. A used-leather finish – old, lived-in, much-loved leather – is applied to an inset three-dimensional panel on the bonnet and a panel on the tailgate that protrudes like an extra cargo box.
Above the windscreen, twin rectangular spot lights are mounted on the roof. Exuding an air of casual confidence, the haven of tranquillity theme continues inside SOUL Searcher, with old leather-effect finish to the dashboard, door panels and rim of the three-spoke steering wheel.
Grey-beige felt is used to cover the floor and the seats. The seat design is simple, with the minimum number of separate panels. The seams between panels are on the outside of the seats, creating a small ridge that is slightly raised above the surface, to exaggerate the feel of the material.
Overall, the cabin ambience of SOUL Searcher, like that of SOUL Diva, is one of domesticity – albeit of a very different nature to its Geneva co-star.
Click image to enlarge!
The Kia SOUL Burner is the ‘bad boy’ of Kia’s three new concept characters, according to KME Design Chief Guillaume.
“In developing SOUL Burner we avoided going in the ‘boy-racer’ direction. This concept is the most extroverted of our three characters.SOUL Burner is more about showing-off and parading about.If one of our SOUL trio had to have a tattoo – it would be the Burner! Indeed, as visitors to Geneva will see, it does have a ‘tattooed’ exterior, complete with dragons!”
From the outside, SOUL Burner is a mean totally black beast with sparse flashes of scarlet.The paintwork is satin, almost matt, Black, the wheels are matt black and the only other exterior colour is a little bit of red – around the lower front air intake, the wheel rims and door mirrors.
“SOUL Burner’s tattoo is tone-in-tone, black gloss on the black satin paintwork.At first look viewers can’t tell what the tattoo represents.Then they’ll notice that there is something happening on the car’s surface.But it’s only after a second ‘look’ that they will realise this car is enveloped with dragons!”
In an unusually asymmetric design, the largest dragon creeps up the left side of the SOUL Burner and over the bonnet to blow fire down onto the front bumper.On the other side, a small dragon emerges from the sill panel and climbs over the C-Pillar.Throughout the car, a ‘dragon scales’ pattern is repeated, appearing on the front grille, seats and door trims.
At the front, the bumper is equipped with L-shaped day-light LED driving lamps around the outer edges.The bonnet has an extra air outlet and the door mirrors are smaller (then Diva).
At the rear, twin vertical exhaust pipes are placed at the extremes of the bumper, while the tailgate features an asymmetrical number-plate and release handle.
Unlike the other SOUL concepts, SOUL Burner has a solid roof panel and no roof rails.It rides on the widest, lowest profile tyres of the trio – 245/40 R19 – again with a concept-specific tread pattern comprised of dragon’s flames.
Inside SOUL Burner, the four individual sports seats (complete with dragon-scale motif), thick-rimmed three-spoke steering wheel and entire cabin trim are divided horizontally.Above the split, everything – including headliner, pillars and dashboard – is finished in a rich matt red, below all is deep black.In contrast, the centre console, air vents, gearshift, and door handles are finished in a special black-chrome.
[Photo Source: Autounleashed.com ]
Kia Soul concepts preview: Soul Burner, Soul Searcher, Soul Diva
Written by himi on Tuesday, March 4th, 2008 in Uncategorized.
Kia is set to unveil three Kia SOUL concepts during the first press day of 2008 Geneva Motor Show. Named SOUL Diva, SOUL Burner and SOUL Searcher, the concepts were created by Kia’s European design team under the guidance of Kia’s Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer.
The trio of concept cars is closely related to a new production car which will make its World Premiere at the Paris Show in September!
The all-new Kia production car will appeal especially to the young-at-heart – whatever their age! It will defy classification and encourage customers to build an emotional bond with their new car by providing a creative platform that they can customize to match their own character.
Kia SOUL Burner
The Kia SOUL Burner is the ‘bad boy’ of Kia’s three new concept characters. A ‘show-off’ complete with dragon tattoos. From the outside, it is a mean, totally black beast with sparse flashes of scarlet. The tattoos are gloss black on the black satin paintwork, which shows a large dragon creeping over the bonnet. On the other side, a small dragon climbs up the C-Pillar.
Kia SOUL Diva
The Kia SOUL Diva has been created as a fashion accessory for a style-conscious young-at-heart woman who regards her car to be as important as her entire outfit. SOUL Diva is like a supermodel with an aura of glamour, a bit flashy but playful and fun!
The Kia SOUL Searcher is the concept that provides a haven of tranquility within the urban jungle, a comfort-zone on four wheels. It sets out to capture the spirit of Korean and Far Eastern culture with a focus on achieving personal inner peace and creating a calm cocoon for the occupants. Exuding casual confidence, the colors are muted, the textures are soft and the road presence is discreet.
Click image to enlarge!
Expect to see more images of Kia Soul concepts and comprehensive reviews of each Kia Soul concept in the next few days. In the meantiame, you are invited to register and become a member of our growing Kia Soul Forum.
Kia Motors America reports February sales numbers
Written by himi on Monday, March 3rd, 2008 in Uncategorized.
Kia Motors America (KMA) today announced February sales of 21,988 units and year-to-date sales of 43,343 units.Rio and Spectra sold 2,875 units and 5,133 units respectively, both increases over the same period last year. Rondo, recently recognized as a “Best Value” on the Parents Magazine and Edmunds.com Best Family Cars list, sold 3,616 units, also an increase over the same period last year.
Kia Motors America (KMA) is the sales, marketing and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, South Korea. KMA offers a complete line of vehicles through more than 640 dealers throughout the United States.
For 2007, KMA recorded its 14th consecutive year of record U.S. sales. Kia Motors subscribes to a philosophy of building high value, high quality, safe and dynamic vehicles. Kia Motors prides itself on producing vehicles that are exciting and enabling and evoke the Kia tagline “The Power to Surprise.”
| MONTH OF FEBRUARY | YEAR-TO-DATE | |||
| Model | 2008 | 2007 | 2008 | 2007 |
| Rio | 2,875 | 1,641 | 5,584 | 3,265 |
| Spectra | 5,133 | 4,545 | 9,991 | 8,818 |
| Optima | 2,806 | 2,906 | 6,792 | 5,107 |
| Amanti | 184 | 1,226 | 383 | 1,793 |
| Sportage | 3,551 | 3,937 | 6,615 | 7,411 |
| Sorento | 1,369 | 3,348 | 2,582 | 6,308 |
| Sedona | 2,454 | 4,981 | 4,554 | 11,928 |
| Rondo | 3,616 | 928 | 6,842 | 1,406 |
| Total | 21,988 | 23,512 | 43,343 | 46,036 |
Kia, Hyundai lead Febrauary’s sales gain in S. Korea
Written by himi on Monday, March 3rd, 2008 in Uncategorized.
Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. on Monday reported robust gains in South Korean auto sales for February, while the country’s three other automakers saw their sales fall!
Overall, the nation’s five automakers, including GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co., Renault Samsung Motors Co. and Ssangyong Motor Co., saw their combined sales rise 4.1 per cent annually to 386,415 units last month.
Hyundai Motor, the nation’s top carmaker, said its sales last month were up 12.1 per cent to 209,937 units.
Last month, Hyundai Motor’s domestic sales climbed 9.9 per cent to 47,769 units and exports gained 12.8 per cent to 162,168 units, helped by the success of new models.
Its affiliate Kia Motors posted a 2.2 per cent gain as its Morning mini-car continued to appeal to young drivers amid higher gasoline prices. The companies’ results excluded exports of kits. (more…)
