Fans and followers of the Kia brand have been waiting with eager anticipation for news regarding the release of the 2012 Kia Soul. That big news came today, and it’s all good; Kia Motors America announced that the new version of the Soul will be released at the best in class price of $13.900, the Soul A/T at $15.700, and the top of the range Soul!(exclaim) starting at under $20.000.

That’s a fantastic price for a vehicle that is delivering on the promise of better fuel economy and more power. The all-new Kia Soul 2012 Model Year has amped up the horsepower on both the 1.6L (138hp, an increase of 16) and 2.0L (now 164hp, an increase of 22), while also increasing fuel efficiency, thanks in large part to Kia’s new six-speed automatic transmission and Idle Stop and Go system, to 28 mpg in the city and 35 highway, a huge selling point considering the high prices at the pump.

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Molten Red Soul Hamstar concept joins Kia Soul White Tiger Special Edition at the 2010 SEMA Show!

After three million views online and the launch of their own “Hamsta” apparel line, the hip and music-loveable hamsters from Kia’s award-winning Soul commercial ad campaign are making their presence known at SEMA with a Molten Red Soul concept vehicle featuring custom Hamstar artwork and interior appointments.

The highly attractive Kia Soul Hamstar Concept stands out from the crowd with its custom red and black color scheme, highlighted by a “star” graphic with the signature Hamstar script logo on the hood and off-black matte finish stripes on the urban passenger vehicle’s sides that are reminiscent of vintage warm-up pants.

The exterior is dressed with black gloss and polished aluminum sport wheels for extra attitude and the all black interior includes red/black sport cloth seat materials with black chenille stars affixed to the back side of the front headrests. Special Hamstar sport floor mats and a rubberized Hamstar badge create an additional surprise design element. [Source: Kia Motors America]

Kia Soul Hamstar image gallery:

Striking Kia Soul White Tiger Special Edition makes its official debut at the 2010 Specialty Equipment Market Association – SEMA show in Las Vegas!

Kia Motors America introduces yet another special edition Kia Soul model. Making its official debut at the 2010 SEMA, the all-new Kia Soul White Tiger Concept previews one of the two special edition Soul models that Kia intends to introduce in 2011.

As previous four special edition Soul models, which include the Soul Denim, Ignition Soul, Soul Dragon and Soul Ghost, the all-new Soul White Tiger also features a unique exterior color combined with some exlusive graphics. Kia says the latest Soul  model takes styling cues from this year’s Asian Lunar year animal – the Tiger and dramatically combines an all-white exterior with one-of-a-kind tiger-themed graphics.

The 2011 Soul White Tiger Concept is equipped with all of the standard features of the Soul “+” model and adds an abundance of options, such as body colored bumpers, fog lamps, sport spoiler, black fender vents, rear bumper cat claw applique and striking white-finished 18 inch alloy-wheels.

Inside, the 2011 Soul White Tiger features a push-button start, black leather seating surfaces, heated front seats, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, sport-styled floor mats with contrasting stitching and illuminated scuff plates.

Although the Soul White Tiger Special Edition models is currently presented as a concept car, it will soon appear (in its final production form) at the Kia dealerships across the USA. You can expect the first models to hit the showroom floor within a few weeks, says Kia.

2011 Kia Soul White Tiger Special Edition image gallery:

Kia Soul Flex features 1.6L four-cylinder engine that can run on ethanol or gasoline…

Making its official premiere at the 26th International Auto Show in Brazil is the all-new Kia Soul Flex. The Soul Flex is especially adapted Kia crossover vehicle which can run on an ethanol-gasoline mixture, 100% ethanol or 100% gasoline.

According to Kia, the Soul Flex represents the very first Korean Flexible Fuel Vehicle -FFV which can run either on gasoline or ethanol. It was especially developed for the Brazilian market, where “flex” vehicles account for more than 85 percent of the new car sales.

“Flex” cars such as the newly-introduced Kia Soul Flex are so popular in Brazil due to many benefits that consumers gain once they purchase such vehicles. Not only they enjoy lower costs of ethanol, which is priced at 40 percent less than regular gasoline, but they also pay 2 percent lower “purchase” tax.

The all-new Kia Soul Flex looks no different than other Soul models sold internationally, however, it features some major technical upgrades made to the 1.6L four-cylinder engine. Those include the newly adapted fuel injection and catalyst system as well as engine compression ratio – changes which combine to achieve enhanced fuel economy.

Changes made to accommodate the more abrasive nature of ethanol fuel include reinforcing the fuel pump, pillar cap and fuel line, and fitting a gasoline tank assistance system in order to aid engine ignition at low temperatures.

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Kia Canada recalling 2010/2011 Soul and Sorento models to fix possible faulty wiring that could start fires.

Kia Canada announced a recall has been issued for the 2010 Soul and 2011 Sorento crossover vehicles due to defective wiring harnesses that could short and lead to a fire.

According to the company, about 4,500 units of Soul and Sorento crossover vehicles are involved in the recall. This includes 3,295 Soul compact crossovers for the 2010 model year and 1,213 Sorento crossover vehicles for the 2011 model year.

Owners of the affected Kia models will be notified to bring their cars to their local dealerships who will replace the wiring harnesses for the lighting systems free of charge.

Kia Canada says that it is unaware of any cases or issues involving wiring problems here despite the recall.

A recall has been issued for Kia Motors America’s 2010 and 2011 Soul and Sorento vehicles due to defective wiring harnesses that could short and lead to a fire.

Back-up camera is available in the 2010 Kia Soul crossover vehicle…

The hot-looking Kia Soul is a popular box-crossover vehicle, which outsells all of its competitors on sale in the US-market. The main competitor of the new Soul is Nissan Cube. While the boxy crossover vehicle features similar design philosophy and targets same consumer (younger crowd) it can hardly challenge the Soul when it comes to pricing.

The popular Kia Soul crossover starts at a base price around $13.300, while the top-ranging model costs around $17.000. Even with the inexpensive price tag, those buying the 2010 Soul crossover vehicle will probably be pleasantly surprised with the necessary amenities that the funky Kia model offers.

Those include complete safety features, including 6-airbags (front driver – passenger airbags, side airbags and curtain airbags that protect heads and necks of those seating in front of the car, as well as those seating at back), ABS, sunroof, speakers with adjustable lighting, and luxuries, such as MP3 audio unit, back up camera, which is connected to the LCD display (placed in the rear-view mirror), 18-inch alloy-wheels and leather equipped interior.

Kia Motors America releases its newest TV advertising campaign for the Kia Soul, called “This or That.” It’s a sequel. Kia brings back the lovable singing hamster dudes who ushered Kia Soul’s popular entry into the US automobile market.

“Given the success and popularity of the hamsters in the initial Soul launch with a spot that won Nielsen’s Automotive Ad of the Year, it made sense to bring them back for a new campaign,” said Michael Sprague, marketing vice president of KMA. “We know the Soul target audience is digitally savvy and that they viewed the first commercial multiple times online, so the newest experience is rich with details in the hamster world and integrated Soul content for them to discover during repeat viewings.”

The TV “This or That” commercial shows the cool and savvy hamsters in hood singing a popular 90′s hip hop track, “The Choice is Yours.” The break-dancing, hip-hopping hamsters groove around suburban city blocks cleverly singing “You can get with this,” pertaining to the suave and shiny Alien Green Kia Soul, “or you can get with that,” pointing to washing machines, toasters and cardboard boxes being driven by “un-cool” hamsters as though they were automobiles. The commercial hints a very obvious choice.

The cool, loud, and MTV-ish commercial is what Kia Soul is all about – young, hip, and highly personalize-able. It can be what you want it to be. For real, this versatile five-door produces great audio sound with available Audio Upgrade Package, which includes speaker lights that dance and pulse to the beat of the music, mood lighting to produce a lounge feeling, and funky black cloth seats with “glowing” Soul logo.

Kia Soul hamsters comemrcial:

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The 2010 Kia Soul is named to the “Best Family Cars for 2010″ list in the “budget” category!

A proven consumer and media favorite, the 2010 Kia Soul urban passenger vehicle recently was named to the “Best Family Cars for 2010″ list in the “budget” category by leading automotive research site Edmunds.com and family-favorite Parents magazine, adding to an already extensive list of prestigious honors and recognitions for the funky hatchback.

The 2010 Kia Soul was highlighted for its safety features, appealing styling, overall family-friendly features and its attractive starting price below $14,000.

“Soul is such a unique and versatile car, suitable for drivers in any stage of life with its extensive array of safety features, style and overall value, including parents and families,” said Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing of Kia Motors America.

“The fact that this award is given by two well-respected outlets and based on direct consumer feedback is invaluable and a testament to our continuing commitment to providing attractive vehicles loaded with an abundance of safety features, technology and value.” added Michael

Taking all current model year vehicles into consideration, Edmunds.com and Parents magazine selected the top 15 vehicles – three each in the budget, crossover, minivan, sedan and SUV categories – based on performance, reliability, safety, and family-friendly features.

In addition to analyzing, test-driving, and comparing specifications, Edmunds.com and Parents took into account feedback from parents who own and drive these vehicles every day.  All of the cars on the list also are good values, and the winners must have a strong track record for reliability and performance.

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Meet Rob Woodward, the owner of a heavily customized Kia Soul crossover that features a plethora of aftermarket modifications, including a set of Eibach lowering springs, Takeda CAI and underbody lights.

The so-called Soul Reptile also features European Burner grille, door-mirrors, roof rails, eyeliners, led side repeaters, tail light bezels, rear spoiler, rear hatch handle and custom badges, all painted in green! And the list of aftermarket modifications continues…below!

1. How and when did you find out about the Kia Soul?

Well having the advantage of working for Kia since 2002 I was able to see the Soul as a concept when it was first released in 2006 when I worked the Auto show, since then I have followed it into production, and when it finally arrived as a production vehicle last year at the Auto show, I had to go take a look to see how it would look in person. After seeing it I decided to get rid of my 04 Maxima and get a Soul.

2. How long have you owned your Soul and what are your experiences so far?

I bought my Soul in April but had to wait 5 weeks for it to arrive as it was still early in the production of them and the 5 speeds were more difficult to get. I love my car although the first week I was missing the power of the Maxima (140 hp vs. 280 hp), until I filled up for the first time and instead of $85 it was only $36.68, since then I haven’t missed the power at all, I have just over 31,000 km on it and no problems or issues other than my door skins have yet to be fixed.

I find this to be a special car to me, as I have a tendency to get bored with a car. In the past 9 months I have had to bring in family and friends cars for service (ones that are much higher end), and find myself wanting to get back in my Soul by the time I am driving there car home.

3. If you had to pick one thing what was it that really sold you on the Kia Soul?

The uniqueness of it, I love to be different than everyone else, and it was one of the main reasons I had chosen the Soul, on top of that with all the toys you get for under $20,000 there way almost no way I could pass it up.

4. Can you tell us some interesting comments that you have heard about your ride from friends, family and other people?

Actually the one that stands out the most is a gentleman in his 40′s driving a 750i got out of his car and told me I love your car it’s totally unique. Most people either love it or hate it, black and bright green gets the attention both good and bad. I have had people stop to look at it and others laugh as they drive by. Either way it’s my car and I love it.

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Kia Soul Ghost, the No. 4 Special Edition Soul model, is on its way to Kia dealerships!

After introducing three uniquely styled Souls in a span of past six months, Kia is now bringing its fourth Special Edition model to the market. Called Soul Ghost Special Edition, the model will be marketed exclusively on the U.S. soil and is expected to be the last Special Edition Soul to be brought to the market this year.

But, since all four Soul Special Models have been very-well accepted by consumers across the USA and were sold out pretty quickly, according to some Kia dealer reports, we are pretty confident to see more Soul SE editions coming from Kia soon.

Kia did not reveal how many Special Edition Souls it has build, but we have been told that the company brought about 2500 units of each SE model to the States.

The 2010 Kia Soul Ghost Special Edition model follows Soul Shadow, Soul Dragon and Soul Denim editions and differs from standard Kia Soul by its unique exterior colour and various add-ons exclusive to all Special Edition Souls from before.

As the name implies, the 2010 Soul Ghost is done up in a special gray-blue exterior color scheme. Besides the sport body kit and rear spoiler, the Ghost Blue Soul also sports a set of blacked-out 18-inch alloy wheels with machined accents and fender vents with side marker repeaters, while a couple of gray side stripes make up the tweaks made outside.

Inside, the Soul Ghost gets black leather wrapped seats equipped with seat warmers.

Kia has yet to release official pricing information for the Soul Ghost Special Edition, but we were told consumers can expect the model to start at around $18,500.

2010 Kia Soul Ghost Special Edition images:

Kia Soul Sport Safety Car, customized by Gogogear, makes its public debut at Infineon Speedway in Sonoma, California.

Kia Motors America today debut a highly modified Soul crossover as the Official Safety Car of the U.S. Touring Car Championship circuit sanctioned by the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) at the season opener race on March 21 at Infineon Speedway in Sonoma, Calif.

This heavily customized Kia Soul Safety Car was modified by GOGOGEAR and features upgraded tires and suspension for improved ride and handling, along with strobe lights inside the headlights and tail-lights.

In addition, the customized Kia Soul Safety Car also benefits from enhanced aerodynamics,  a custom free flow Borla exhaust, a light weight Optima battery, light weight Konig alloy-wheels, low resistance BF Goodrich tires and short ram intake by Takeda to further enhance efficiency.

“To further demonstrate its practical capabilities, Soul is helping the Kia Motors brand with its U.S. debut into the world of motorsports this year by increasing the vehicle’s profile and recognition among automotive and racing enthusiasts,” said Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing of KMA.

“We have created awareness within the motorsports community during our inaugural motorsports season in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series and look forward to future motorsports initiatives.” [Source: Kia]

You can read more about another great looking Soul: the Soul Ghost Special Edition Model

Kia Soul Safety Car Gallery:

We are slowly puting together the pieces of Soul puzzle. Every once in a while, we get informations from people who know development secrets Kia is hiding from us.

It was reported before, that the mini crossover is going to be offered with the range of three different engine displacements. Depending on market, there will be 2.0 liter and 1.6 liter, 4 cylinder gasoline and diesel engines offered. While we still don’t know details on either powerplant, we found out what the actual crossover size is.

It will be the smallest crossover vehicle on the market. With the size of only 4,1 meter, this is barley any larger than Kia’s Rio hatchback.

The Soul’s rolling stock will be comprised of 15″, 16″ and 17″ wheels on all corners or top of the line 18″ inchers, making the vehicle stance more musclebound.

Exterior dimensions: Length: 4.105mm , width: 1.785mm , height: 1,610mm, weight: 1,210kg

Kia Soul concept gallery:

More about Kia Soul: ** Kia Soul **

Kia Soul is coming to production next year but we already know some details about engine range that will be offered. Soul buyers will be able to choose between two gasoline and one diesel powered engines.

The diesel engine will be borrowed from Cee’d hatchback which is Kia’s first European developed car. This is a modern, hi-tech 1,6 liter diesel engine, producing about 116 hp. It belongs to the group of the cleanest diesel engines avaliable on the market right now. That engine is releasing only 125 g of CO2 per 100 km. Unfortunately the diesel option will only be avaliable in Europe!

U.S. will get two more powerfull gasoline options. 1,6 and 2,0 liter gasoline engines producing between 110 and 143 hp.

Find out more about Kia’s upcoming CUV here!

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