A new compact car with bold styling, the Kia Soul is aimed at young buyers who wish to make a statement with their vehicles. Unique styling and proportions, combined with fuel efficiency and safety, make the 5-door hatchback a practical, efficient package that’s still fun to drive.

Kia will offer a variety of packages to allow buyers to personalize their vehicle with interior materials and colors, lighting and exterior body kits and accessories.

 

The U.S. debut of the production version of the Soul revealed that the design has remained true to the Soul Concept that debuted at the 2006 North American International Auto Show in Detroit and the three Soul concepts created in Europe for the Geneva Motor Show in March 2008.

 

“The Soul is for those who love individuality but don’t like to be categorized by finding the next best thing,” said Michael Sprague, vice president of marketing for Kia Motor America (KMA).  “Indicative of the new design direction of KMA, Soul is an attractive and customizable vehicle for those looking for something with a little more personality than other vehicles on the market today.”

With an angled window line, rounded nose, large headlights and chrome grille, the Soul offers a different look than any other vehicle. Interior access is easy, thanks to tall doors and a high seating position, and the Soul features what Kia calls a “laid back” dashboard with a three-dial instrument cluster and a “floating” center stack that slopes up and away for ideal access to the audio system. Soul owners will have multiple options to personalize the interior with different colors, fabrics, lighting and audio systems.

 

Four Trim Levels

The Kia Soul will be available in four trim levels with names as unique as the vehicle itself: Soul, Soul+ (plus), Soul! (exclaim) and Soul sport. Standard equipment includes black door handles, black side mirrors, body-colored bumpers, rear wiper and 15-inch steel wheels.

Soul+ adds keyless remote entry, solar glass, privacy glass, body-color door handles, power side mirrors and 16-inch alloy wheels.

 Soul! is upgraded with a power moonroof, fog lights, 18-inch alloy wheels and P225/45R18 tires. Soul sport features side skirts, rear spoiler, 18-inch alloy wheels and unique front and rear fascias.

 

Final pricing has not been announced, but Kia said that it will be aggressively priced in the teens, with even the Soul sport priced under $20,000.

World Premiere of Borrego FCEV

Kia also debuted the Borrego fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV) at the Los Angeles Auto Show, based on Kia’s new Borrego midsize SUV with technology advancements moving a fuel-cell vehicle closer to reality.

The Borrego FCEV features a higher-output fuel cell with a 154-horsepower electric motor and a new 450-volt Supercapacitor for better performance, extended driving range and cold-weather starting capacity. With a 47 horsepower increase over Kia’s previous fuel-cell vehicle, the Borrego FCEV is capable of reaching a top speed of 100 mph and has a driving range of approximately 426 miles.