The OEM press conferences get a tuneful start on Tuesday as Kia unveils a quintet of music themed 2014 Souls
What happens in Vegas
If it's November and you're any kind of a car guy you already know what happens in Vegas. That would be the annual SEMA Show that takes over the entire one million square foot Las Vegas Convention Center and then some – overflowing into the surrounding parking lots (an additional 1.5 million square feet) and attracting more than 130,000 people from within our borders and more than 130 countries outside the United States.
Cranking it up
Following the morning awards breakfast at the Las Vegas Hotel, things got cranked up in the adjoining North Hall of the Convention Center with the unveiling of five music-themed 2014 Kia Souls.
"Since the Kia Soul first arrived on the scene in 2009, it has established a very real and remarkable connection with music," said Michael Sprague, executive vice president, marketing and communications, KMA. "After harnessing five major marketing campaigns with songs spanning from Black Sheep to LMFAO to this year's Lady Gaga spot, which debuted during MTV's Video Music Awards, music has become a core attribute of the Soul's persona. The SEMA show presented the perfect opportunity to bring that personality to life – with the volume turned up to 11."
So let's get the party started:
Amped Soul
Featuring a white pearl custom paint job and blacked-out windows, the Amped Soul created by Popular Mechanics rolls on 22-inch Forgiato custom three-piece wheels with Hankook 245/30/22 tires. To make room for a club-sized stereo, the passenger side B-pillar was removed while JBL Pro Live sound equipment was integrated into the rear-hinged doors. Amping it up are four 12-inch Infinity1 power subwoofers and LED ambient lighting.
Vans Warped Tour Soul
Popular Mechanics also designed the Vans Warped Tour Soul – this one with a custom yellow paint finish and air-brush artwork. The side windows were replaced by custom fiberglass body panels housing eight Infinity 8-inch speakers while a 50-inch flat-panel monitor sits atop the car with running footage from the Vans Warped Tour itself.
The requisite LED ambient lighting and 20-inch wheels are augmented by a specially-designed Warped Tour hood ornament in front and a slide-out barbeque in back that gives new meaning to the word "tailgating."
DJ Booth Soul
The DJ Booth is the first of three Souls tricked out by RIDES magazine. This one is a DJ booth on wheels with the roof removed so the DJ can stand up above the roof – via a diamond-plated stage replacing the rear seats – to spin on the pro-grade Pioneer CDJs and mixer.
Painted an arresting purple – as if it needed a special color – this Soul comes with 19-inch Rotiform BRU wheels and Continental tires, Ark Performance lowering springs, LED lighting, front and rear strobes and a speaker enclosure in the lower grille.
Inside there's black leather, graphite suede and turquoise stitching a Maschine Mikro production studio in the passenger-side dash and a Pioneer audio system with five amplifiers, three component speakers, two 10-inch and two 12-inch Champion Series subwoofers and a sound bar housing four coaxial speakers.
Music Memorabilia Soul
Featuring RIDES magazine curated music memorabilia covering rock, hip-hop and EDM history, this Soul houses a collection that includes a signed Slash guitar, a G-Unit sneaker signed by 50 Cent, a Jimi Hendrix gold album and a signed John Legend microphone - displayed in hand-built Plexiglas enclosures in the trunk, rear windows and rear hatch insert.
The Music Memorabilia Soul is painted platinum silver with gold exhaust tips and anodized 20-inch gold HRE 935s wrapped with Nitto Invo tires and supported by Ark Performance springs. There's also gold diamond stitching highlighting a custom black suede and leather interior.
The Voice Soul
Inspired by NBC's The Voice, this Soul receives LED puddle projectors, The Voice logo on its sides with vinyl on the window portion, as well as the words "I Want You" illuminated in the lower grille. 20-inch three-piece Niche Scope wheels are color-matched to the vehicle and wrapped with Falken tires.
Interior highlights include the four replicated coaches' chairs in red leather, black suede and red stitching while the front "I Want You" logo is controlled by the red button on top of the dash.
There's also an iPad2 Mini connected to a 40-inch LED TV allowing occupants to use the preloaded The Voice app to sing through the wireless microphone, amplified through Rockford Fosgate speakers in fiberglass custom pods.
