“Kia Soul presents customers with such a broad selection of design, comfort and equipment choices to redefine the concept of freedom. It’s a brand new urban car packed full of liberating ideas that challenges consumers to free their mind, to build an emotional bond with their new car and to rethink everything they know about Kia,” enthuses Mr Hyoung-Keun Lee, Senior Executive Vice President and COO of Kia Motors Corporation.
Distinctive styling like no Kia before!
Kia Motors Corporation Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer, has overseen the evolution of Kia Soul from the 2006 concept to its 2008 production reality. “The new Kia Soul will be a breakthrough
vehicle for Kia on its journey to be seen as a design-led company and the producer of distinctive cars which customers desire to own. Conceived in the USA, developed in Korea and fine-tuned in
Europe, I strongly believe that the production Kia Soul urban crossover has a completely resolved design that has successfully achieved its own distinctive style.”
Space to feel free plus a sensational sound system
Kia Motors’ senior executives and its many dealers are confident that when customers experience the new Kia Soul urban crossover for the first time, they are going to be deeply impressed by its
style, colours, shapes, quality, materials as well as equipment and finish. “First impressions will make a big impact and there will be several unique aspects to the experience of sitting in Kia
Soul cars,” enthuses Gregory Guillaume, Chief Designer, Kia Motors Europe. “The tall doors and high-mounted seats made for easy access, while the ‘laid back’ dashboard, triple dial instrument
cluster and thick-rimmed steering wheel create an unusual combination of spaciousness for passengers and cosiness for the driver to generate a very special ambience inside of this new Kia.”
Innovative Audio with ‘Mood Lighting’ option
Every Kia Soul for the European market will be equipped with a factory-fit RDS radio/single CD player with MP3 compatibility, plus USB, AUX and iPod connections in the centre console, six audio
speakers, a 112-watt output, innovative PowerBass technology and a roof-top antenna. A sound system of higher versions is upgraded with ‘Sound Sensitive Mood Lighting’, a 315-watt output, a large
diameter dash-top centre speaker, external amplifier and a sub-woofer mounted in the trunk for a total of eight speakers.
Choice of 126 ps diesel and 126 ps gasoline powertrains
In Europe, Kia Soul customers will be offered a choice of 126 ps diesel (a 115 ps ‘low-power’ version in some countries) or 126 ps gasoline engines, based closely on the 1.6-litre units first
designed and produced by Kia’s engineers for the Kia cee’d model. All three engines are Euro4 compliant for emissions. The model acceleration times (to 100 kph) range from 10.4 to 11.3 seconds and
fuel consumption spreads over 5.1 to 6.6 litres/100 km span while CO2 figures vary between 137 and 159 g/km for European models. For the USA and several other non-European markets, Kia Soul will
also be available with a 2-litre, 142 ps gasoline engine with five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission.
ESP and six airbags available to boost Kia Soul safety
The Kia Soul will be available with the highest levels of active and passive safety to fully satisfy the ever-increasing consumer expectations of modern car design. Kia Soul cars supplied to the
majority of countries in Western Europe and all of North America will be fitted with six airbags, four disc brakes and ESP (Electronic Stability Program) as standard. In other countries ESP will be
available as a factory-fitted option.
Producing a brand new global model
Kia Motors Corporation plans to manufacture up to 136,000 units of Kia Soul annually at its Gwangju facility in Korea. The plant has been extensively refurbished for its new role, enhancing vehicle
quality and greatly increasing the flexibility of the production processes.
Four new models star in Kia ‘Green Zone’
Kia will display four new models in its ‘Green Zone’ at Paris. Kia cee’d ISG, Soul Hybrid, cee’d Hybrid and Sportage FCEV are the latest results of the corporation continuing and massive investment
in eco-friendly technologies for the future. One of the first ‘eco-friendly’ technologies to transfer from concept to reality will be Kia’s new ISG (Idle Stop&Go) system which makes its world
premiere at Paris and will be available on Kia cee’d gasoline models from early 2009. The innovative ISG system automatically switches the engine off when the car is stopped in heavy traffic
and on again when traffic moves, cutting fuel consumption and emissions by up to 15% in typical city driving conditions.
Hybrid power for Kia Soul and Kia cee’d
Also making their world premieres in Paris, they are the Kia cee’d Hybrid and the Kia Soul Hybrid concept cars. The Soul Hybrid concept comes complete with a panoramic powered folding fabric roof,
plus a transparent bonnet and floor, so the new hybrid powertrain and battery pack can be viewed by show visitors. This Soul features Kia’s Gamma 1.6-litre gasoline engine, mated to a 15 kW, 105 Nm
AC synchronized electric motor, Kia’s own CVT (continuously variable transmission), ISG (Idle Stop&Go) and ‘regenerative braking’ to re-charge its power pack. The prototype is designed to
achieve a fuel consumption of 4.9 l/100 km and a CO2 figure of 117 g/km.
The Kia cee’d Hybrid has been created by Kia R&D to take part in ‘real-world’ test activities in Europe. Like the Soul Hybrid, cee’d uses an upgraded powertrain with a 1.6-litre engine and a 15 kW electric motor with a fuel consumption of 4.8 l/100 km.
