Kia Motors'New "Soul"

Motor firm takes great pride in spiffy new model on display at the Paris Motor Show

Kia Motors Corp. has confirmed that its all-new Kia Soul urban crossover passenger car will go on sale early next year with two choices of gasoline engines or a diesel engine with manual or automatic transmission (depending on individual markets).
The most powerful engine will be a 2-liter gasoline unit producing 142 ps at 6,000 rpm and 186 Nm of torque at 4,600 rpm. This engine will be offered with a five-speed manual transmission or a four-speed automatic.
A smaller capacity 1.6-liter gasoline engine will be offered in most countries, while consumers in Europe (and some general market countries) will be able to order a 1.6-liter diesel engine featuring a VGT (variable geometry turbocharger). Both of these highly efficient 1.6-liter, four cylinder, 16-valve DOHC power trains are based closely on engines fitted to the hugely successful, European-built, Kia Cee'd.
The all-aluminum gasoline engine generates 126 ps at 6,300 rpm and 156 Nm of torque at 4,200 rpm. The diesel engine delivers
126 ps at 4,000 rpm and a very competitive 255 Nm of torque at just 2,000 rpm. "The Kia Soul is a brand new urban crossover passenger car that will challenge customers to free their minds. It is packed with clever and liberating features and will offer cavernous passenger space that matches or even outperforms many vehicles with much larger exterior dimensions,"said Lee Hyoung-keun, senior executive vice president & COO of the International Business Division.
The Kia Soul is a five-door hatchback with front-wheel drive, a high roofline and an unusually long wheelbase. Overall length is 4,105 mm with a 2,550 mm wheelbase. Overall height is 1,610 mm, the base of the windshield is 135 mm higher than a typical compact car, the hip-points are 120 mm higher and the ground clearance is raised by 45 mm.
Access to the new Kia Soul's spacious interior is remarkably easy and the cabin will deliver head, leg and shoulder room that matches or exceeds many larger vehicles. Generous headroom (1,020/1,005 mm front/rear), legroom (1,070/990 mm front/rear) and shoulder room (1,403/1,400 mm front/rear) will ensure that Soul can accommodate five large adults in genuine comfort.
Looking ahead to the Paris Show debut, Gregory Guillaume, chief designer for Kia Motors Europe, commented, "Drivers and passengers will be treated to a very unique experience when sitting inside the Soul for the first time. The tall doors and high-mounted seats make for easy access, while the 'laid-back'dashboard design, triple dial instrument cluster and thick-rimmed steering wheel create a combination of spaciousness for passengers and a tailored fit for the driver, generating a very special ambience."
The Kia Soul urban crossover will make its world premiere on the Kia stand (No. 520, Hall 5) at the Paris International Motor Show on Oct. 4, 2008.
Kia Motors Corp., a maker of quality vehicles for the young-at-heart, was founded in 1944 and is Korea's oldest manufacturer of motor vehicles. As part of the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group, Kia aims to become one of the world's premier automotive brands. More than 1.4 million vehicles a year are produced in 14 manufacturing and assembly operations in eight countries which are then sold and serviced through a network of distributors and dealers covering 165 countries.
Kia today has over 40,000 employees worldwide and annual revenues of almost $17 billion. It is the major sponsor of the Australian Tennis Open and an official worldwide sponsor of the Davis Cup. Kia is an official automotive partner of FIFA -- the governing body of the FIFA World Cup -- as well as a EUROTOP partner of UEFA. Kia Motors Corp." brand slogan "The Power to Surprise"represents the company's global commitment to surpassing customer expectations through continuous automotive innovation. nw

Kia Motors brand new crossover passenger vehicle 'Soul'

Kia Motors America Dealers'Meeting