It’s not just us Kia owners that love the new Soul, but also two year olds that get really excited when they see it on the TV.

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This is the very first video commercial for the 2010 Kia Forte Koup. Enjoy watching it!

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Kia Soul scores maximum 5 star safety rating at Euro NCAP crash tests!

The popular Kia Soul crossover has been awarded with the highest possible 5-star safety rating in the latest European New Car Assessment Programme -Euro NCAP crash tests reported Kia today.

Despite it’s compact size, the Soul achieved a great overall weighted score of 75 percent, more than enough to achieve a 5-star rating. Breaking down the latest crash test results, the Soul crossover was rated 87 percent for adult protection, 86 percent for child protection (based on 18-month- and three-year-old child), 39 percent for pedestrian protection and 86 percent for Safety Assist equipment.

The five star safety rating places Soul among the safest B-segment family cars in the world. The 2010 Soul crossover is following the European-built cee’d as the second vehicle in the Kia’s model range that received the highest possible 5-star safety rating at EuroNCAP.

It was back in 2007 when cee’d scored the first 5-star safety rating at strict European crash tests for Kia. Since January 2009 Euro NCAP have been using a different ratings calculation and their new testing scheme is even more strict than it was in 2007 when cee’d was tested.

Euro NCAP test results for Kia Soul:

Adult Occupant Protection 87 percent (31.2 points of max possible 36)
Pedestrian Protection 39 percent(13.9 points of max possible 36)
Child Protection 86 percent (42 points of max possible 49)
Safety Assist 86 percent (6 points of max possible 7)

The perfect 5-star EuroNCAP safety rating is enabled in part by the use of high-tensile strength steel and all the up-to-date safety technology fitted to the 2010 Kia Soul crossover.

UPDATE: Kia Soul crash test video added!

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There’s a great head-to-head comparison test between the 2010 Kia Soul and 2010 Nissan Cube on the Youtube. Both of the “cubes” have just recently entered the US market and although I’m not sure how Cube has sold in it’s first full sales month, I know that Soul did a tremendous job. Selling above three thousand units in April alone, that’s a pretty high number for a fresh new vehicle, isn’t it!?

Well, I’m not going to talk, but rather let you watch this cool test-drive video. What I’d like to hear from after you finish are the pros and cons on both cars. List a few things that you like and don’t like about the Soul and Cube.

UK: Kia Soul Burner Edition video review 

It’s widely known that Soul crossover has so far been a great success for Kia. If you take a look at Soul’s initial global sales numbers you can find out that those are very encouraging and on increase month by month. 

Kia thought it would sell about 40.500 Souls in the US and Canadian markets in the first year on sale. But since the youth-oriented Kia car is being snapped up so fast Kia’s executives began studying whether they may need 10.000 or more Souls to satisfy consumer needs.  

Although the North America has been considered as the main market for the multi-award-winning Kia crossover, the Soul has also seen a strong demand in Europe. As a matter of fact, initial European sales are exceeding Kia’s expectations by about 13 percent! Since Soul’s sales commenced earlier this year, Kia dealers managed to sell over 6.500 units in Europe alone.

The Soul has been particularly successful in the UK where it was also titled as “Best New Model” for 2009 - by Fast Car magazine. Speaking of sales numbers, more than 500 Souls have been sold so far, but what’s even more interesting is the fact that all of the Soul Shakers have been sold out even before they hit the UK dealers and the dealers are now waiting the new shipments to arrive.

In the UK, Kia Soul is available in three different trim levels: Samba, Shaker and Burner. The most attractive of  all three UK Souls is definitely the high-end Soul Burner model which looks almost exactly like a Soul Burner concept that we have seen at Geneva auto show last year. The Soul Burner comes available with accessories such as 18-inch alloy wheels, red grille, silver dragon decals, lightning door speakers and others. It also features a Lotus tuned suspension! 

There’s a great video review of Kia’s “mad machine” (yes, that’s how the reviewers called the Soul Burner) that I just found on Youtube and you can watch it here:

Kia Soul receives the highest possible rating in frontal crash tests

There are many people who have postponed buying the 2010 Kia Soul until they see the official crash test results conducted either by American NHSTA or European EuroNCAP safety agencies. Well, it was a long wait but the crash test results for the funky Kia Soul are finally in and they appear to be very good.

It was the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that conducted the first frontal crash and here’s the video that proves Kia Soul offers a very good protection for all the occupants. Although there are limited information on the final results right now, the NHTSA announced the Soul received the highest possible 5 star safety rating for the driver and a 5 star safety rating for the passenger.

The 2010 Kia Soul is a very popular choice among US consumers and these positive crash test results will most definitely spur the interest in the funky crossover. The new Soul crossover is Kia’s newest vehicle and it is a prime example of Kia’s commitment to providing the most up-to-date standard safety features in it’s vehicles.

Kia has unveiled the 2010 Forte Koup yesterday during it’s official press concference at the auto show in New York. The two-door variant of Forte sedan, which is expected to hit the US Kia dealers in late summer of this year, is a very important new product from Kia Motors as it represents the next step in the evolution of Kia’s design and provides a blend of sporty and emotional appeal.

Find a complete coverage and details on the 2010 Kia Forte Koup here.

2010 Kia Sorento -R video

Following it’s successful Korean premiere at the on-going Seoul Auto Show, Kia’s all-new Sorento crossover will now be introduced to the public of North America for the first time. The 2010 Kia Sorento, which has seen a remarkable exterior redesign and vastly improved interior, will be put on display at the forthcoming New York International Auto Show on April 9.

Designed under the direction of Peter Schreyer -Kia’s Chief Design Officer, the new Sorento incorporates simple, linear lines that make it look very powerful and sporty. The 7-seat crossover vehicle now features Kia’s new corporate grille, which has been previously implemented to other Kia models, such as Kia Optima and Forte/Cerato sedan… To find complete and detailed information on the 2010 Kia Sorento follow this link.

Kia Soul hamster commercial

Visit this link: Kia Soul commercial to find more info on the songs played in the Kia Soul commercial. 

In order to effectively promote a hot new product (such as Kia Soul) you need to launch a very cool advertising campaign to grab the attention from the media and public. And that’s just what Kia Motors did to promote it’s just recently launched Kia Soul urban crossover.

The 60-second commercial spot has been created by an independent, Los Angeles based, creative agency David&Goliath and is targeting the Gen-Y consumers. It will be aired in movie theaters served by National Cinemedia and Screenvision, with the latter buy targeting cinemas located on or near 50 college campuses.

The funny ad showcases a hot-looking Kia Soul crossover while stopping at the large crossroad, next to the giant rodent spinning the hamster wheel. The Soul fits four hamsters comfortably while rocking out to a funky house beats. The song coming from their iPod, connected to the Souls stereo unit through a USB port is called “Fort Knox” and played by the Goldfish.

The “Kia Soul hamster” ad has already become a very popular one, generating thousands of views per day on Youtube. Furthermore, world’s largest automotive media recently issued their reports on the funny ad and speaking in general, they all found it really cool. Judjing by their loyal readership reactions, the public likes it too!

Here’s one very interesting quote that caught my attention, while browsing through the comments posted by the readers of Autoblog:

Ahh the power of advertising on women. My wife who hated the Soul at the car show now wants one because of this commercial. (by: Iridium; Autoblog)

The ad campaign will include five more Kia Soul hamster spot variations, each playing a different genre of music. According to Tim Chaney, working as a director, marketing communications at Kia Motors America, the cost of the campaign is pretty significant and right up there with the most we’ve ever spent on a launch.”

[Source: KIA SOUL COMMERCIAL SONGS ]

Video preview: Kia No3 concept 

By now we have seen plenty of exciting pictures previewing the all-new No3 concept car from Kia Motors. What we haven’t seen so far were some video previews, that ussually come included in the official press packs. While browsing for some fresh new Geneva Auto Show, we came across the Kia No3 video which shows the No3 concept driving in the parking garage.

The No3 concept is scheduled to make it’s official public premiere today at Geneva Auto Show. The No3 concept car previews the forthcoming Kia MPV, which belongs to the fast growing B car-segment and is expected to go on sale later this year or early in 2010 (Kia has yet to provide more detailed information).

The No3 is based on the same platform as the 2010 Kia Soul, meaning it measures about the same in size as it’s sibling Kia Soul model. The concept is 4045 mm long, 1760 mm wide, 1600 mm tall and has a wheelbase of 2615 mm. Compared to the Soul, No3’s wheelbase has been extended so it’s cabin provides even more generous passenger space.

Stylish Kia No3 incorporates the H-shaped front grille, known also as a new face of Kia. The Nor concept was penned at Kia’s European design center in Frankfurt and features a very unique extended windscreen, panoramic glass roof, beautiful set of 19-inch alloy wheels and Titanium Grey exterior color… Stay tuned for more information and images on this new striking Kia concept!

Here we have yet another interesting comparison of the two latest econobox cars, the 2010 Kia Soul and Nissan Cube. Both of them were evaluated during Chicago Auto Show, by Patrick Olsen from Kickingtires.com who pointed out some of the strengths and weaknesses of both Gen-Y vehicles.

After we have seen the Soul beating Scion xB and Nissan Cube S earlier today, here’s another win for Kia Soul! Go Kia!!

One of the show stoppers at this year’s, still ongoing, Detroit auto show was most definitely the Soulster concept car from Kia Motors. The Soulster is a small-footprint, front-wheel drive truck, derived from Kia’s new 2010 Soul crossover.

With it’s simple, yet attractive exterior design, the Soulster reminds us of Suzuki Samurai equipped with soft-top, but in a much funkier package. Whether this exciting two-door concept car ever enters the US car market has not been announced, but the right amount of positive feedback could eventually bring it to production sometime in the near future.

Those of you who haven’t seen enough of the topless Soulster yet, here are two more videos from Detroit auto show.

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We are continuing our coverage from the Detroit Auto Show where Kia Soulster concept car made it’s official public debut yesterday.

Sleek, elegant and sporty, the Kia Soulster concept is a two-door vehicle with some roadster genes, designed especially to appeal to the younger crowds.

Spiced with some very unique design elements such as LED technology equipped lamps at rear and front fascias, side vents, circular door handles, side-mirror turn signals, LED accent lighting, dual chrome exhaust and polished aluminum exhaust tips featuring carbon-fibre and 19-inch aluminum alloy wheels, the Soulster features a beautiful and eye-catching design inside& out. It also incorporates a two-piece canvas top and a roll-bar, which includes a place for slider tracks.

There are no words out there yet, whether this cool looking Kia concept will ever make it to production. Vice president of sales at Kia Motors America, Tom Loveless, said Kia had not made any decisions on a production version as of now, but was studying the possibility.

Here’s the first video preview of the Soulster concept taken during it’s official unveiling at the 2009 North American International Auto Show. (Watch the video after the jump.) (more…)

Every once in a while, I check for some videos on Youtube. I’m not really a huge fan of the site, but I simply can’t avoid it as I recieve many emails, from friends, with links to interesting videos every day.

Each time I get to the website I also look for some Kia related stuff. Lately, lots of new commercials and reviews of Kia Soul popped to the site, with number increasing a few days after the Soul made it’s “final revelation” at the L.A. Auto Show.

Today, I came across two new vids that show the all-new Kia Soul in all it’s glory. In the first one, you can see the Soul coated in attractive Tomato Red color and equipped with all the accessories available.

It’s not of the best quality (the video), but good enough to recognize how beautifull this vehicle really is. The Soul you’ll see is also outfitted with black 18-inch wheels and dark-red Dragon vinyls. I think this video was taken a few weeks ago at the auto show in Sao Paolo -Brasil, where Kia displayed entire range of it’s vehicles, including cars like Picanto, Amanti and KND-4 concept.

The other one is a video review taken at the Soul official press event and showcases a black Soul driving on Korean streets. Videos are really cool and not too long, so you just need to watch them both.

P.S.
I wonder if that hot looking girl, standing besides the Soul, comes standard or as a part of an optional Soul equippment!?
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