According to the Kia Buzz web site, the production version of the Kia Soul will be unveiled at this year’s Paris Auto Show in October. But we also get to see vehicle photos more than four months ahead of the show.
First shown in Detroit
Ever since its unveiling at the 2006 NAIAS in Detroit, there have been hints from Kia that the Soul Concept would, in some form, reach production. That rumor was reinforced when no less than three concept versions of the vehicle were shown at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show - the Soul Burner, the Soul Diva and the Soul Searcher (who comes up with these names, anyway?). These three vehicles were much less radical than the Detroit concept with standard rear doors instead of Motown’s suicide versions. The rear “floating” tailgate had also been replaced by a more production-friendly version on the Geneva models.
Production photos revealed
So what we have here are photos of the actual production vehicle – essentially the Geneva versions minus the eyeball-searing paint jobs and garish interiors. Since the Soul won’t be officially introduced until October, reasons for the early reveal remain unclear. One guess is that with gas at $4.00 plus per gallon and with the less-than-fuel-sipping Borrego on the way, Kia is looking to build some hype for what promises to be a much easier on the wallet at the gas pump SUV.
Here’s looking at you, kid!
The Soul is pictured in three colors. Kia calls them Tomato Red, Vanilla Shake and Bright Silver. So without further ado, here are the latest pics from Kia:
Kia Soul Tomato Red
Kia Soul Vanilla Shake
Kia Soul Bright Silver
