Kia Soul @ 2008 LAAS

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Everything substantive you'd like to know about the 2010 Kia Soul is in our first drive.

At today's official unveiling at the LA Auto Show, Kia indulged in a little self-effacing wackiness. At least a dozen Souls were in attendance, easily surpassing Ford's collection of Mustangs, lending a packed-in feel to the press conference.

As Tom Loveless, vice president of Kia Motors America, spoke, his apparently college-age twins appeared on web cam, LOL-ing and OMG-ing via IM as he told us the story of the Kia Soul. We don't need to tell you much about target demographics, then.

We were also touched by the metallic "SOUL" sculpture that inflated like Jiffy Pop (in the images below), as Loveless and Tom Kearns, chief of Kia's U.S. design team, closed out the conference. There's no functional need for this bit of installation art, but it reminded us of the giant Fiat 500 at this year's Geneva show. It's just fun and weird. That's all.

Now for the informative stuff: The U.S.-spec 2010 Kia Soul goes into production in January 2009 and will be at dealers by early spring.

Kia doesn't want to talk about pricing, yet -- other than to let you know that it will be "aggressively priced," Loveless said. We take that to mean that you'll be able to get into a decent one for about $15,000.

Annual sales numbers, too, are anybody's guess, but, says Loveless, "There are two ways to look at 2009. One way is doom and gloom, oh my gosh, it's a 13-million-unit market.

"But we don't think we're held by the industry. The Soul is going to change the way people think about us. And we're coming right behind that with the redesigned Spectra."

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• Kia
• Soul
• 2008
• LAAS
• Edmunds
• Inside
• Line
• LA
• Auto
• Show

[Hako2004]

I asked why he said it wasn't "cool". I wasn't asking about re-sale. This car is a Kia, a cousin to Hyundai. People stopped laughing at Hyundai years ago, and they are every growing and improving. More to the point, Toyota does not own "cool" by any stretch. The Corolla was described as "soulless" and "the grandpa of compacts" by Car & Driver two years ago. I have always admired Toyota engines, but many of their cars, including the Camry, are dull.

[occultdestroyer]

Kia is owned by Hyundai

[VraiDiouf]

@Q4T4RHERO so true, I'm still trying to decide whether I want a silver one or a black one. Red looks heck of nice too (heck all the colors look nice).

[idel1138]

Hyundai owns 51% of Kia. Separate plants, separate Design and Development facilities. But Parts distribution is shared. Kia is also a major glass and steel manufacturer

[Swiperluck]

oh and note: GM has 66% share of DAEWOO. :)

[Swiperluck]

No. i highly doubt that. GM has stake in Daewoo (another Korean automotive manufacturer). Not Kia. Kia motors is owned by Hyundai motors. Hyundai has 36% share in Kia.

[Q4T4RHERO]

Sweet car, the sport version with every option on it under 20K is amazing!!!

[kotor87]

You mean Daewoo right?

[autofied]

they really went to town on making is customizable and making the brand a bit more hip with this design than they have been in the past

[autofied]

The base has a 122-hp 1.6L in-line four and the other models get a 142-hp 2.0L four