Stylish New Concept Could Change Young Peoples' Perceptions about Kia
Shouldn't it be called the Seoul? Either way, Kia's upcoming Soul Concept might just stretch our perceptions of what a compact crossover
vehicle should be, sporting a unique chunky appearance not dissimilar to Honda's odd but relatively popular Element, Toyota's U.S.-market Scion xB and Nissan's Japanese-market Cube.
Then again, the Soul appears to have some traditional SUV styling cues thrown in to the mix too, such as rounded wheel arches, wrap-around windshield, wrap-around and over headlight clusters, a curved C-pillar, and racy engine air exhaust ducts, which should allow it to be more acceptable to mainstream buyers.
Its boxy rear shape should optimize interior cargo space, thus opening up more
room for passengers, who will also benefit from the vehicle's tall roofline and reportedly, substantial width.
According to Kia the Soul is larger inside than it appears from the outside, while its cargo area is said to be extremely flexible. The rear liftgate features a "drawer" for wet or muddy items, such as a wetsuit or hiking shoes; a telltale sign of which demographic Kia is shooting for.
Unique to the segment, if produced, would be reverse-hinged rear "suicide" doors, sometimes available on four-door pickup trucks like Nissan's Titan and Toyota's Tundra, sports cars such as the Mazda RX-8, and ultra-luxury cars like Rolls-Royce's Phantom. The mirror image door handles appear most like those on the Phantom, while the fender vents are similar to those on Suzuki's new Grand Vitara and Land Rover's LR3 and Range Rover Sport. Kia states that the new concept builds on styling details shown with the Mesa concept from last year's North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
Shouldn't it be called the Seoul? Either way, Kia's upcoming Soul Concept might just stretch our perceptions of what a compact crossover
 |
| Kia's upcoming Soul Concept might just stretch our perceptions of what a compact crossover vehicle should be. (Photo: Kia Canada) |
Then again, the Soul appears to have some traditional SUV styling cues thrown in to the mix too, such as rounded wheel arches, wrap-around windshield, wrap-around and over headlight clusters, a curved C-pillar, and racy engine air exhaust ducts, which should allow it to be more acceptable to mainstream buyers.
Its boxy rear shape should optimize interior cargo space, thus opening up more
 |
| Its boxy rear shape should optimize interior cargo space, thus opening up more room for passengers, who will also benefit from the vehicle's tall roofline and reportedly, substantial width. (Photo: Kia Canada) |
According to Kia the Soul is larger inside than it appears from the outside, while its cargo area is said to be extremely flexible. The rear liftgate features a "drawer" for wet or muddy items, such as a wetsuit or hiking shoes; a telltale sign of which demographic Kia is shooting for.
Unique to the segment, if produced, would be reverse-hinged rear "suicide" doors, sometimes available on four-door pickup trucks like Nissan's Titan and Toyota's Tundra, sports cars such as the Mazda RX-8, and ultra-luxury cars like Rolls-Royce's Phantom. The mirror image door handles appear most like those on the Phantom, while the fender vents are similar to those on Suzuki's new Grand Vitara and Land Rover's LR3 and Range Rover Sport. Kia states that the new concept builds on styling details shown with the Mesa concept from last year's North American International Auto Show in Detroit.