| It is said beauty is in the eye of the beholder ... which means our ideal of beauty is as individual as each human being.
In early April Australians are going to be asked to perhaps redefine their thoughts on beauty when the Kia Soul hits the showrooms.
It's likely the boxy Soul could be pigeon-holed in the cute category, given cute is a nice way of saying an object is not necessarily beautiful.
Some may call it funky.
If Kia's goal was to get motorists talking about the brand then, bless my soul, they will probably achieve that aim.
Kia tends to play very much the younger brother role in its relationship with parent company, Hyundai.
Looks aside, Soul is an interesting vehicle. It reminds us of the legion of boxy little cars you see in Japan: cars our Japanese importers have not seen fit to bring down under.
Which means Kia and Soul are leaders seeking to challenge our values when buying cars.
Kia thinks enough of Soul to bring in five cars, or as they say, five interpretations of Soul for the Melbourne International Motor Show.
“The eagerly awaited Soul marks a revolutionary expansion of the Kia product line-up and redefines the personality of cars, with Generation Y and the young-at-heart firmly in its sights,” said a Kia spokesman.
“Soul presents consumers with such a broad selection of styling, comfort and equipment choices, that it redefines the concept of freedom and individuality and creates a new category for the young and young-at-heart,” he said.
“It’s a brand new urban car packed full of liberating ideas – a car that challenges consumers to ‘free your mind’, to build an emotional bond with their new car and to rethink everything they know about Kia.”
The all-new Soul closely follows the concept first shown to the world in 2006.
Kia Motors Corporation’s Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer, has overseen the evolution of Kia Soul from 2006 concept fantasy to its 2009 production reality.
“Conceived in the USA, developed in Korea and fine-tuned in Europe, the Soul will be a breakthrough vehicle for Kia on its journey to be seen as a design-led company and the maker of distinctive cars which consumers aspire to own,” said Mr. Schreyer.
“Kia Soul is all about creating a car that demonstrates our passion for automotive design, gets Kia talked about the media and the public, and generates an irresistible customer appeal.”
Soul features the trademark Kia ‘corporate grille’ that first had its Australian premiere on the new Kia Cerato sedan, launched in February.
Kia say the key to Soul’s appeal is its ultimate ‘customisability’ for young and young-at-heart urban car buyers.
With 61 factory and locally fitted options available, no two Souls seen in the street are likely to be the same, thus expressing the individuality of their owners.
Options will include alloy wheels; body-kits; audio upgrades; sports or ‘retro chic’ interiors; body accents and many other options, all designed to give customers almost infinite possibilities to personalise and individualise their own Soul.
When released to the Australian market in early April 2009, the new Kia Soul will be available with a choice of petrol or diesel engines, with manual or automatic transmissions.
|
Print Article
Submit Feedback
Email This Article
