Kia Soul'ster Concept

Kia Soul'ster
Kia Soul'ster
It hasn't even hit showrooms yet, but Kia is already using its 2010 Soul as the basis for a concept car. The company introduced the Soul'ster Concept at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show.

The 2010 Kia Soul is a subcompact, 4-door hatchback that will go on sale this spring. The Soul'ster Concept is essentially a 2-door, four-passenger, open-top version of the production Soul. The two-piece top allows the front section, back section, or both to be exposed. The sections are divided by a protective rollover bar.

If the Soul'ster were to go into production, North American shoppers would have a choice of the two powertrains available in the production car: a 122-horsepower 1.6-liter 4-cylinder or a 142-horsepower 2.0-liter 4-cylinder. Markets outside North America would likely receive a turbodiesel engine as an option. A manual transmission would be standard on both, and an automatic would be available on the more powerful engine.

CG Says...
Remember the Suzuki X-90? Neither do a lot of people. X-90 was a small, two-seat SUV with a removable roof panel. It was available with all-wheel drive but had no pretense of off-road ability. The Soul'ster is similar in concept, though Kia will undoubtedly execute it better, should this small car get the go ahead for production. A starting price well under $20,000 might make this a hit with the younger crowd Kia hopes to woo.
The Soul'ster offers fold-flat rear seatbacks as well as a fold-flat front-passenger seat. Storage compartments can be found beneath the rear seats as well as below the cargo floor. The interior design is otherwise similar to that of the production Soul.

Kia will likely gauge public reaction to the concept before giving it the green light for production. Figure at least a year before any version makes it to dealer showrooms.

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