What Is It?
Kia Soul Concept
What's Special About It?
East meets West with the Kia Soul Concept. According to the chief designer for Kia Motors of America, Tom Kearns, "The Soul really was a collaborative effort between our design studio in California and our design studio in Korea." During the project, one of the American designers even went to Korea for a month and a half. The meaning of the car's name is two-fold, it implies a car with character as well as pays homage to Seoul, the capital of Korea.
Styling is a mix of things we've seen before and things we haven't. The hidden A-pillars that give the windshield a wraparound look can be seen on an '86 Toyota Celica, while rear-hinged rear doors are a good idea borrowed from the Mazda RX-8 and Saturn Ion.
Distinctive features that give the Soul its own…soul include big air intakes that echo the shape of the headlights and a front brush guard with integral foglamps that toughen up this compact crossover SUV. The power-operated liftgate features a backpack compartment.
A power moonroof over the front of the car slides over the back when retracted, maintaining the glass roof effect. Multimedia entertainment includes a notebook computer in the dash (whose monitor does double-duty for gamers), a pair of video monitors for the two bucket seats in back, and a powerful audio system that proudly displays its grille-less speakers. Technocrats will approve of the integration of Bluetooth, MP3 and Wi-Fi capabilities.
Running gear is not as leading edge — a 2.0-liter inline four sends power to the front wheels through a five-speed automatic. As this is more a design study, obviously not much emphasis was placed on running gear. As such, no engine specs were given but we'd guess it's the same 138-hp engine found in the Spectra.
What's Edmunds' Take?
The incorporation of the latest entertainment and communication devices make this concept the ideal crossover for the Xbox generation. — John DiPietro
Kia Soul Concept
What's Special About It?
East meets West with the Kia Soul Concept. According to the chief designer for Kia Motors of America, Tom Kearns, "The Soul really was a collaborative effort between our design studio in California and our design studio in Korea." During the project, one of the American designers even went to Korea for a month and a half. The meaning of the car's name is two-fold, it implies a car with character as well as pays homage to Seoul, the capital of Korea.
Styling is a mix of things we've seen before and things we haven't. The hidden A-pillars that give the windshield a wraparound look can be seen on an '86 Toyota Celica, while rear-hinged rear doors are a good idea borrowed from the Mazda RX-8 and Saturn Ion.
Distinctive features that give the Soul its own…soul include big air intakes that echo the shape of the headlights and a front brush guard with integral foglamps that toughen up this compact crossover SUV. The power-operated liftgate features a backpack compartment.
A power moonroof over the front of the car slides over the back when retracted, maintaining the glass roof effect. Multimedia entertainment includes a notebook computer in the dash (whose monitor does double-duty for gamers), a pair of video monitors for the two bucket seats in back, and a powerful audio system that proudly displays its grille-less speakers. Technocrats will approve of the integration of Bluetooth, MP3 and Wi-Fi capabilities.
Running gear is not as leading edge — a 2.0-liter inline four sends power to the front wheels through a five-speed automatic. As this is more a design study, obviously not much emphasis was placed on running gear. As such, no engine specs were given but we'd guess it's the same 138-hp engine found in the Spectra.
What's Edmunds' Take?
The incorporation of the latest entertainment and communication devices make this concept the ideal crossover for the Xbox generation. — John DiPietro
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