Kia bares its Soul
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Tired of soul-less Asian cars? Wait until early next year when the 2010 Kia Soul comes out. It looks set to compete with the Scion xB (or perhaps the xD), certainly for the title of Boxiest Car on the Road.
Its styling has been a joint project between Kia’s California and South Korea (Seoul?) design studios. This photo is of the production version (slightly more visually interesting -- but probably more expensive to make -- concepts have been doing the motor show circuit of late).
The time is right, though. People are moving to smaller cars that are cheaper to run. But such criteria doesn’t have to preclude some kind of personality, which -- like it or not -- the Soul appears to have.
Exact dates and specs haven’t been announced yet, but something like a 1.6- or 1.8-liter four-cylinder should provide the kinetics. Neither have prices been spoken of. However, since the Scion xD starts at $14,550 and Kia has a reputation for being a budget brand, expect something in or slightly below that range.