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2012 Kia Soul
 
It didn’t take long for Kia to release a facelift version of the Soul, did it? After only three model years, the Korean automaker has decided that their K-pop crossover needed a facelift, and so they gave it one, providing the 2012 Soul with all the styling, power, and fuel economy improvements needed to satisfy the vehicle’s growing number of fans. While the car already looked the part of something eclectic, Kia went the subtle route with their changes, opting to give it improvements that are less about style than they were about substance. This substance is provided with a new 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 160 horsepower and 143 lb/ft of torque with an improved fuel economy rating of 27 mpg on the city and 33 mpg on the highway. "The Soul crossover vehicle has always stood out from the crowd and was responsible for bringing new customers to the Kia brand and positioning the company for a series of record-breaking successes," said Michael Sprague, vice president of Marketing & Communications at Kia Motors America. "With gas prices on the rise, this refresh adds even more style and fun-to-drive performance, while also improving fuel economy by 10 percent." Details on the Kia Soul after the jump. Full story 2011 Kia Soul ie:3 Concept
Johnson Controls may not be a name that’s familiar to a lot of you, but their products almost always end up staring us right in the face at times when we don’t even realize it. As a supplier of interior technology, Johnson Controls holds a certain cache that not of us even realize. That’s why it was especially cool to see the company attend the Detroit Auto Show with a hollow shell of a Kia Soul with all their goodies dressed up in the interior. Called the ie:3 Concept, the vehicle consists of Johnson Controls’ latest technological features that are designed to have three main benefits: delighting buyers, giving automakers an opportunity to be different from each other, and improving their own sustainability. Among the features found on the ie:3 – ‘IE’ stands for Inspired Efficiency – include single-piece stamped seats that are ergonomically designed to save space. The company also has features new FaserTac seat pads made from natural fibers. That’s only the beginning, too. Hit the jump for more details on the Kia Soul ie:3 Concept. Full story 2011 Kia Soul Searcher
Ever since its official launch, the Kia SOUL crossover has seen lots of special editions. And what’s one more added to the line-up? British customers will be able to opt for the SOUL Searcher edition starting January 4th. The special edition is priced at £16,965 OTR for the manual and £18,025 for the automatic one. This special edition will be distinguished by light green metallic paintwork, a high quality cream and brown full leather interior, chrome front grille, chrome door handles, roof rails, black bezel headlights, front and rear mud flaps as well as 18-inch silver alloy wheels. The list of standard equipment includes: an upgraded 8 speaker sound system (with subwoofer and external amplifier), Bluetooth and iPod connectivity ensure the Searcher has plenty to keep everyone on board satisfied at all times. For the driver a tilt and telescopic steering wheel with cruise control and steering wheel mounted audio controls means that everything is available at close hand. Press release after the jump. Full story 2010 Kia Soul Hamstar Concept
After the success of the Hamster advertisements, Kia has decided to take it to the next level and create a Soul after the legendary rapping critters. The Kia Soul Hamstar Concept is just a concept at this point, but we hope that it will go into production soon, as it actually looks pretty good. The Hamstar Soul Concept will turn heads while rolling down the street because of its custom red and black color scheme, topped off by a “star” graphic with the signature Hamstar script logo on the bonnet. There will be off-black matte finish stripes on the vehicle’s sides that are reminiscent of vintage warm-up pants and, as odd as that might sound, it’s what Kia has stated. The exterior is covered with black gloss and polished aluminum sport wheels. The all black interior includes red/black sport cloth seat materials with black chenille stars on the back of the head rests. There are also special floor mats with a Hamstar badge. So, in the event you are one of those die-hard Hamstar fans, here’s your opportunity to show your love and dedication to the world. It’s kind of the equivalent of taping posters of Justin Bieber to your ride. Oh no, now we’re providing them with ideas?! Hit the jump to read the press release. Full story 2010 Kia Soul White Tiger Concept
Kia is offering up a snazzy Soul, called the White Tiger Concept, at the SEMA show in Las Vegas, Nevada. This version of the Soul will take a few cues from the gorgeous white tiger, as it will use white paint on the exterior with tiger themed graphics. This will contrast very well with the jet-black leather interior. The exterior gets fog lamps, body colored bumpers, sport spoiler, black fender vents, rear bumper cat claw appliqué, alloy fuel door, and features white-finish 18-inch alloy wheels. This should make the Soul look more like a tiger than any other car on the road. Okay, so it’s no BMW M3 Tiger Edition, but you get the idea. Inside, the White Tiger gets push-button start, black leather seating surfaces, and heated front seats. The Soul White Tiger will be arriving in Kia retail showrooms in the coming weeks, so if you want something that resembles a Tiger and is one of the best small cars on the road, go get yourself a Kia Soul White Tiger. Hit the jump to read the press release. Full story2010 Kia Soul Flex
Today, the Kia Soul Flex, the first Korean vehicle that can run on ethanol, was released. It was specially designed for the Brazilian market where these flex-fuel models make up 85% of new car sales. The vehicle uses a 1.6-liter four-cylinder motor that cranks out 128 horsepower and 119 pound-feet of torque. The car can manage a 44% fuel economy increase in fuel mileage over the gas version. The Soul Flex will use a reinforced fuel pump, pillar cap, and fuel line. There will also be a gasoline assistance system that will aid engine ignition at low temperatures. In addition to all of this, the motor will use an adapted fuel injection and catalyst system. There will also be a new engine compression ratio. The Kia Soul Flex will debut this month, with sales beginning early next year in Brazil. The company is also working on a Sportage Flex that should be unveiled at the end of next year. Video: Kia taps golf superstar Michelle Wie to promote the Soul
There’s no question that Kia’s target market for the Soul crossover aren’t the daddy types that frequent golf clubs on a nice and warm Sunday morning. No, according to Kia, that’s not how they roll. Instead, the Korea-based manufacturer has set its sights on a much younger market; the 20-somethings that are making their way up to the world to establish a name for themselves. And who better to epitomize this market than 20-year old golf sensation – and millionaire – Michelle Wie. Nevermind that Wie is Korean herself, although Kia probably figured that having a local celebrity whose known worldwide to push and promote the Soul to her age group would be a great idea, but she is also one of the most recognized 20-year-olds in the world. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that she also has a strong influence as an endorser. Needless to say, the Soul isn’t for the slacks-wearing, tucked-shirt hopping fathers with golf club memberships. It’s for the young, hip, and happening. That, after all, is how they roll. Korean Woman Passes Driving Test After 960 Tries
It’s not really news, but it sure is heart warming in an odd sort of way. A very odd sort of way in fact because, as your heart is warming, your brain is telling you that very soon, your life might be in danger. It’s sort of like drinking whiskey. At this point you may be asking yourself, What are they talking about?" A Korean woman, Cha Sa-soon, finally passed her driving test after the 960th try. The 69-year-old had to go through a 50-minute, 40-question test in order to pass. She had taken this test once a day since April 2005, but failed every time, until now. When local news outlets got the story, it grabbed the attention of Hyundai-Kia. As a sort of graduation present, Kia gave the woman a brand-new Kia Soul. Persistence does pay off in the end. Just think, millions will now have to share the road with her and her new car. People would think that after 960 attempts, the woman would have a pretty good idea as to what to do - and what not to do - on the road. However we advise all of South Korea to buckle up, just in case. Kia to issue recall on 2010 Soul and 2011 Sorento over electrical problems
The recall bug has hit Kia anew, with the Korean manufacturer announcing that there will be a recall of 24,000 2010 models of the Soul and around 11,200 2011 models of the Sorento because of a problematic electrical system discovered in both vehicles. The models that are included in the recall are those built between September 7, 2009 and July 30, 2010. Yep, a little over a month ago. The quick recall is a response Kia is doing after finding out that a number of the wiring harnesses that are being used in the Soul’s lighting speaker system and the Sorento’s interior accent illumination shouldn’t have passed the automaker’s quality control because they may not have been soldered properly. Kia is making a pre-emptive strike on the matter because of the potential of a short-circuit that could eventually lead to the vehicles catching fire. And while no accidents have been reported, Kia is making sure that they nip the problem in the bud before it takes a turn for the worse. According to Kia, dealerships will begin replacing the defective harnesses at no cost to the customer with the recall expected to commence no later than October. 2010 Kia Soul Echo
Apparently the onslaught of special edition Kia Souls is not done yet. Kia has unveiled a new special edition Soul today called the Soul Echo. It will be available in Clear White or Quartz Black metallic. The white Echo features black 18" alloy wheels, black high-gloss door mirrors, and a corresponding black sports stripe. The black Echo features white 18" alloy wheels, white high-gloss door mirrors, and a sports stripe in white. Inside, the new edition gets a full black leather interior and high-gloss black dashboard fascia that matches the black and white theme of the exterior of the car. It also features an uprated sound system with subwoofer, Bluetooth and iPod connectivity, and reversing sensors. The new Soul Echo will be offered with a choice of 1.6-liter petrol or 1.6-liter CRDi diesel engines and will be available with Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) and Traction Control (TC). We’ll go ahead and add the Echo special edition to the list that includes the Shadow Dragon Soul, Ghost Soul, Ignition Soul, and Denim Soul, among others. Press release after the jump. Full story | featured reviews:Kia Soul latest reviews: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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