The last customized SOUL Kia presented at the SEMA Show is the Gogogear SOUL. The car will be the official peace car at the 2010 US Touring Car Championship (USTCC) season.
"Building on our involvement in the GRAND-AM KONI Challenge Series and in an effort to introduce the Kia brand to even more racing fans, apparel maker GoGoGear.com has created a highly modified version of the popular Soul urban passenger vehicle which will serve as the official pace car at several races throughout the 2010 US Touring Car Championship (USTCC) season."
While the first customized SUV presented at SEMA Show was black, the second one features a baby blue exterior by Lux Motorwerks. The Antenna Soul features a matte brown painted roof, grill trim, side vents and custom exhaust and 20-inch wheels paired with Nitto Tires and a lowered suspension.
The Antenna Soul includes a pop-up "shop" of the latest trends in clothing and accessories from Original Penguin, Huff and etnies. Custom seats feature Cone Denim, bespoke stitching and Rufus shirt material, and a G-shock clock is mounted on the dash. Perforated leather and denim adorn the interior along with a RICTA skateboard wheel gear shift knob, leather-wrapped mounting holsters for personal electronics, a custom display case in the glove box for fashionable watches and stylish sunglasses, a refrigerator in the back seat and a skate board in the roof liner. Arrive in style - or even fashionably late - for any occasion in the Antenna Soul with clothing packed neatly in a motorized organizer in the trunk featuring exclusive apparel and accessories.
Kia came at the SEMA Show with a line-up of customized SOUL crossovers. The first of them is Black “Sinister” Soul created by BuBuck Wild Designs. The matte sinister black exterior paint job is combined with Spectral gray accents and black-out custom trim.
The SOUL’s ride has been lowered and placed on 20-inch black rims. Its dark appearance is being accentuated by smoked-out headlamps and tail lamps.
The Sinister SOUL features a 11-speaker 1,300-watt sound system, a pair of 12-inch single voice coil (SVC) subwoofers, driven separately by an 800-watt amplifier.
Hot off the release of the Kia Soul Samba, Kia’s UK Division is moving ahead with plans of releasing another limited edition Soul in November. Called the ‘Tempest’ the special edition Soul is the next-in-line to be released as part of Kia’s Original Collection.
The car, which will be sold for £12,845, comes with a 1.6-liter engine in either gas or diesel variants. Its Titanium Silver finish goes well with the black high-gloss bumper inserts, giving it a sleek and aggressive look. The black 18-inch alloy wheels also compliments the overall burnished effect of the Soul Tempest.
For a vehicle that comes with a pretty affordable price tag, the Tempest’s interior has also been upgraded to the brim. It has a black seat trim with metallic centre fascia that goes well with the overall theme of the car. The Tempest also has a reverse camera system with electrochromatic rear-view mirror and a fully-prepped sound system that has a dash-top speaker, an external amplifier, and a rear sub-woofer.
It goes without saying that a car that comes with a plethora of features and only sells for £12,845 is a downright good deal in every sense of the word.
Kia has unveiled a new special edition SOUL. Called Denim Soul, the new special edition is priced at $17,301 with a five-speed manual transmission, and $18,250 with an automatic.
The new Denim Soul features a unique denim exterior color, striking white side-view mirrors with matching white 18-inch alloy wheels, front fender turn signal indicator lights, a wing-type rear spoiler and a bold off-set white racing stripe completing the rally-inspired look. The Denim Soul is based on the Soul+ model and is fully loaded with the Audio Upgrade Package (center speaker, subwoofer, external amplifier and speaker lights that pulse to the beat of the music), an iPod connection cable for full functionality via the radio head unit and steering wheel controls, carpeted floor mats, moonroof and fog lights all included for this special edition.
There’s nothing like the power of viral marketing to create a buzz these days. It builds a sense of mystique, which if done correctly, leads to a following, which, in turn, builds excitement about the brand.
That’s probably what the bigwigs back in Korea were thinking about when they dreamed up this online ad for the all-new 2010 Kia Soul. The viral video involves a pack of Soul’s driving around a pier of some sort while creating a number of ‘moving stills’ making a number of very unique stop-frame action sequences.
We here at Top Speed like the Kia Soul for its fresh boxcar styling, loads of creature comforts and its energetic fun to drive attitude. So, any vehicle that has the ability to take all those things we find attractive and turn up the volume, is something we are looking forward to. Revealed back in January at the North American International Auto Show, the Kia Soul’ster did all those things and while it was just a concept back then, it could soon become a production vehicle appearing as early as the second half of 2010.
The reactions at the Detroit Auto Show were very positive, but at the time, the Korean automaker refused to reveal any information about the vehicle’s possible mass production. If the Soul’ster does make it into production, we can’t wait to have to have an open air, Jeep inspired Soul in the Top Speed test fleet.
The Kia Soul is the Korean automaker’s answer to the rather bland boxcar marketplace. Competing for more juvenile car buyers against vehicles like the youth-targeted Scion xB, the New Nissan Cube and the aging Honda Element; the Kia Soul is an almost unexpectedly stylish, solid and even fun to drive option from that other car building country on the other side of the Pacific. With trim levels named “+”, “!” and Sport, featuring options like a Sound Sensitive Mood Lighting system, a place to hook up your iPod and optional 18 inch wheels is just what the kids are asking for. With its hearty 2.0 Liter four making 142 HP while getting an estimated 30 MPG on the highway, this Soul! is the Kia you will be proud to be seen in.
Starting at just over $13,000 the Kia Soul offers tons of options: like a factory body kit, Soul license plate frames, sport shift knobs, rear spoilers, interior lighting, remote start, touch up paint, first aid kit and all sorts of roof racks; perfect for an action sports inspired market. The Soul is the perfect option for a car buying public who like to feel unique when behind the wheel and don’t want to sacrifice performance or reliability for lots of style at a reasonable price.
To be honest, when we received Korea’s newest box car, the Kia Soul, in the Top Speed press fleet my feelings were far from joy, the Kia Soul concept was such a cool idea, so it was a shame when the Asian automaker left out a few things: like the roof mounted CD player, in dash computer and storage compartment in the rear hatch. However, that was the concept, an example intended to generate the most buzz and attract the most interest possible. Concepts almost never translate directly into a production model, and Soul was no different.
After all, our Soul kept the same body lines that were attractive on the concept, and look even better in real life. The Soul truly is like nothing you will see on the road. The designers at Kia have managed to blends a playful exterior with a little bit of aggressive attitude.
You have to get behind the wheel in order to fully appreciate the Soul. The seats are wrapped in a funky design, the driving position is comfortable, the large windshield makes for a spacious cabin, the car handles great and the sound system is fantastic. However, it wasn’t until I found the switch to activate the speaker lights that Soul truly won me over.
After only a day of driving I now understand what those hamsters in the commercial were so happy about.
The Kia Soul is the Korean company’s latest attempt at delivering a big package for a small price. The vehicle that made it’s U.S. debut at the L.A. Auto Show was spotted on the opposite coast driving towards Miami Beach, soaking up some that South Florida sunshine.
Kia’s television ads, that can be seen on the car’s website, promise to deliver an alternative from the ordinary everyday people mover. The problem most manufacturers face when attempting this is that they release a design that is so far out there that consumers are hesitant to be seen in one. That is not the case with the Soul. The vehicle is a box, but the way that the designers have been able to mix the squared shape with round edges and bulging curves makes for an attractive design.
The Soul will compete directly against Toyota’s Scion xB. Starting at around $13,000, the Kia’s low entry price should make it attractive purchase for both young and old car buyers. With the growing trend of small crossovers that offer similar cargo capacity to their larger counterparts while consuming less gasoline, combined with the vehicle’s styling should make the Kia Soul a hit.
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