MIAMI, March 9, 2009 Kia Motors America (KMA) today rolls out the all-new 2010 Kia Soul urban passenger vehicle onto the streets of Miami, following its recent North American debut during the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show. Soul stands out from the crowd with modern, unique styling aimed toward the young and young-at-heart. Designed by Kia Motors Southern California-based design team, Soul is the newest product offering to join the companys ever-expanding line-up and is currently on sale at dealerships across the United States.
Soul offers the perfect combination of style, value and personalized options, said Michael Sprague, vice president of marketing, KMA. It defies categorization and has a long list of features and available accessories that really speaks to todays consumer.
Souls tagline, A new way to roll, positions the car as the first of a line of next-generation Kia vehicles set to launch during the next two years. The new ad campaign for Soul also is different from what KMA has done in the past, celebrating how Soul playfully stands out in a sea of sameness.
Designed to reach target audiences of social, easy-going and hard-working consumers even before Soul hit showroom floors, KMA launched its new in-cinema campaign by playing the new Soul ad spots in movie theaters nationwide starting in late February. The fully integrated advertising campaign, consisting of national television, print, outdoor and digital advertisements, will launch in late March.
Available in four trims, Soul, Soul+, Soul! (exclaim) and Soul sport, pricing for the versatile five door will begin at $13,300 for the base trim, while Soul+ starts at $14,950 and tops out at $17,100 when all options are included. Moving up to the Soul! offers a price beginning at $16,950 and peaks at $17,900 with all available options included and the Soul sport, designed for those with active lifestyles, starts at $16,950 and tops out at $18,600 with all available options included.
Edgy and Confident Exterior
Souls low, wide stance is paired with an angled window line, rounded nose and large flared back headlamps, giving it a playful and youthful appearance. With a friendly face and exuberant personality, Soul is perfect for coasting along the beach or cruising downtown city streets, embodying the vehicles tagline A new way to roll.
The beltline rises from the front wheel arch to create a gentle wedge shape and continues under and around the rear side window. The rear is dominated by the vertical rear combination lamps set into the body color panel with clear outer lenses. The body and wheel arch crease line extends around the bumper for a tough, not rough, style matching the look of the front.
Offering plenty of standard features, the Soul trim offers a chrome-accented grille, clear lens auto-off headlamps, solar glass, black door handles and side mirrors, body-colored front and rear fascias with black inserts, black bodyside molding, rear wiper/washer, variable intermittent windshield wipers and 15-inch steel wheels fitted with P195/65R15 tires.
Upgrading to the Soul+ offers keyless remote entry, privacy glass on the rear and rear side windows, body-color door handles and dual body-color power side mirrors along with 16-inch alloy wheels with P205/55R16 tires. Soul+ also comes with optional front fog lamps and a power sunroof.
The Soul! adds as standard equipment a power sunroof, fog lamps, 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped with P225/45R18 tires. The dynamic Soul sport builds off of the Soul+ features and adds side sills, rear spoiler, 18-inch alloy wheels, fog lamps and unique front and rear fascias, wholly personifying the sporty, urban look Soul embodies.
Also adding to the distinctiveness of Soul, buyers can choose from unique exotic exterior paint colors, including: shades of white such as Dune and Clear White; metallic tones of Shadow, Titanium and Bright Silver; coffee-inspired Java; red-hot Molten; and Alien green. Additional colors available later in the model year will include flame-emulating Ignition, Denim blue and bright white Ghost.
Spacious, State-of-the-Art Interior
Inside the cabin is where Soul really shows its power to surprise. For those who want a personal lounge on wheels or an efficient cargo carrier with 14 storage zones, Soul has it covered. While Soul offers a relatively small footprint, it offers a surprisingly spacious interior. Passengers will find comfort in the roomy cabin that offers 40.2/39.6 inches of headroom (front/rear), shoulder room of 55.2/55.1 inches, 42.1/39.0 inches of legroom and a passenger volume of 102.3 cubic feet, more spacious than the Scion xB.
All five adult passengers will find ingress and egress simple and effortless, credited to tall doors and a high seating position, and each Soul has its own personality credited to multiple options for interiors with different colors, fabrics and audio system packages available for selection.
Souls interior design is decidedly influenced by the cars highly specified audio system. An uncluttered dashboard with a three-dial instrument cluster, LCD illumination and floating center stack design is the key visual feature and offers enticing access to the AM/FM/CD/MP3 audio system outfitted with SIRIUS Satellite Radio capabilities and three months complimentary service. Standard USB and auxiliary input jacks also are in the center console with full iPod and MP3 controllability via the audio head unit and steering wheel controls achieved with an optional accessory iPod cable.
Additional standard interior features that make the Soul stand out from the rest include air conditioning, tilt steering column, power door locks, power windows with drivers side auto-down, external temperature display and digital clock in the radio, an upper storage bin, dual-level glove box, 12-volt power outlet, rear window defroster, cargo area light and a dome light with delay out. Soul is stylishly appointed with black cloth seats, adding to its comfortable interior. A 60/40 split-folding rear seat offers multiple seating and cargo arrangements depending on driver and passenger needs.
Soul+ offers additional standard features including cruise control with steering wheel-mounted controls, Bluetooth hands-free connectivity, dual 12-volt power outlets and tweeter speakers, all enhancing creature comforts on the road. Also standard on the Soul+ is a covered upper storage bin, dual visor vanity mirrors with covers and dual map lights, while black cloth seats are adorned with Soul logo inserts, further personalizing the cabin.
Advancing to the Soul! adds a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob and carpeted floor mats, combined with unique sand-black cloth interior trim with houndstooth inserts for a distinguishing Soul style. For the Soul! and Soul sport (and an option for Soul+), a standard Audio Upgrade Package enhances the sound with center speaker, subwoofer, 315-watt external amplifier and speaker lights that pulse to the beat of the music or simply add mood lighting.
For those with more active lifestyles looking for even more exhilaration, the Soul sport offers a sport-tuned suspension, metal pedals, unique and bold red-black interior trim with sporty red-trimmed cloth seats and metal-finish interior accents.
Unique Platform/Chassis
Soul is different, right down to its all-new platform. With its own unique style, Soul features front-wheel drive, a high roofline and wide, distinctive stance. Built with a wheelbase of 100.4 inches, an overall length of 161.6 inches, an overall width of 70.3 inches and overall height of 63.4 inches, the Soul offers a comfortable interior with roomy seating for up to five passengers. Constructed with more than 70 percent high-tensile-strength steel to enhance structural strength without adding a lot of weight, the all-new, Kia-engineered body achieves high torsional stiffness, benefiting handling, ride quality and refinement. Additional measures to help ensure good noise vibration and harshness (NVH) reduction qualities are fitted throughout the Soul, including a thicker dash panel, an A-pillar noise-absorber pad and an optimized exhaust silencer and a vibration-damper.
Soul features a fully independent, sub-frame mounted front suspension system with MacPherson struts, coil springs, gas shock absorbers and stabilizer bar designed to maximize the friction between the tires and the road, providing steering stability with responsive handling to offer passengers optimal comfort. At the rear, Souls suspension is sub-frame mounted with a transverse torsion beam axle with trailing arms, coil springs and gas shock absorbers for a smooth ride and minimum intrusion into the cargo space. Soul sport models features a unique sport-tuned suspension that includes firmer springs, re-tuned shock absorbers and a larger front stabilizer bar resulting in a lively, more energetic ride.
Under-the-Hood Options
Soul offers a smooth and spirited ride. Its 1.6-liter, four-cylinder engine is mated to a five-speed manual transmission, which produces 122 horsepower and 115 pound-feet of torque. For those looking for a little more power, a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine is available with either the five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic transmission. The latter engine produces 142 horsepower with 137 pound-feet of torque, and is standard on Soul+, Soul! and Soul sport models. Fuel economy for the 1.6-liter manual comes in at an impressive 26/31 mpg (city/highway) while the 2.0-liter offers a thrifty, fuel-sipping 24/30 mpg for both the automatic and manual transmissions, better than the Scion xB.
Standard Kia Safety Features
Soul continues to offer the same high level of standard safety equipment as all Kia vehicles, including front seat active headrests, dual front advanced airbags, front seat-mounted and full-length side curtain airbags. An Antilock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Traction Control System (TCS), Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist System (BAS) and a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) also are standard. Front and rear crumple zones, side-impact door beams, impact-absorbing steering column and Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system also come standard on all Soul models, making for a comprehensive list of standard safety features.
Industry-Leading Warranty
Like all Kia models, Soul is covered by a comprehensive warranty program, which offers unprecedented consumer protection. Included in this program are a 10-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty, a five-year/60,000-mile limited basic warranty, and a five-year/100,000-mile anti-perforation warranty. A five-year/60,000-mile roadside assistance plan also is part of the comprehensive coverage program.
2009 Product Line
Kia Motors America offers a dynamic and diverse product line of 11 vehicles to meet the needs of all lifestyles. The 2009 vehicle line features the functional Rondo CUV and award-winning Sedona minivan along with a wide variety of popular passenger cars, including the refined Amanti full-size sedan, purposeful Optima midsize sedan, versatile and compact Spectra and Spectra5, and sporty yet fuel efficient Rio and Rio5 subcompacts. The vehicle line also features the affordably luxurious Borrego, rugged Sorento and value-packed Sportage SUVs. The 2010 Soul further complements the lineup as it arrives in dealerships this spring.
About Kia Motors America
Kia Motors America (KMA) is the sales, marketing and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, South Korea. KMA offers a complete line of vehicles through more than 640 dealers throughout the United States. For 2008, KMA recorded its 14th consecutive year of increased U.S. market share. Kia Motors subscribes to a philosophy of building high value, high quality, safe and dynamic vehicles. Kia Motors prides itself on producing vehicles that are exciting and enabling and evoke the Kia tagline The Power to Surprise.
Kia Motors America is the Official Automotive Partner of the NBA. Information about Kia Motors America and its full vehicle line-up is available at its Web site www.kia.com. For media information, including photography, visit www.kiamedia.com.
Starting at MSRPs excludes freight, title, taxes, license, options and dealer charges. Actual prices set by dealer.
Customers must renew SIRIUS subscription after trial period if they wish to retain service.
Based on manufacturers fuel economy estimates. Actual mileage may vary.