A rival from Kia for the Skoda Roomster, Nissan Qashqai and forthcoming Toyota Urban Cruiser will have its world premiere at the Geneva motor show press day on 4 March.
In fact, the company will pull the covers of three near-production concepts, each partly disguised by heavily modified paintwork, the latter designed to showcase the possibilities for future accessories and customising of the small hatchback/minivan crossover.
The Soul, a play on words of the capital city of Kia’s home nation, was originally revealed as a concept at the Detroit motor show in January 2006.
In Kia’s two North American markets, the production version will compete with the Chevy HHR, Honda Element and, in the US, various Scion models, while the Chrysler P T Cruiser will also be targeted in the US, Canada and other global markets.
In Europe, at least, this market segment is expanding rapidly. Skoda built 70,688 Roomsters in 2007 and Nissan made 170,228 Qashqais, according to data supplied to the 21 January issue of trade magazine, Automotive News Europe.
Sources claim that the production version of the Soul is on schedule to have its world premiere at the Paris motor show press day on 2 October 2008.
The new model will also accelerate the process of the rebranding of Kia as the sporting, youthful division of HMC, in much the same way that Volkswagen is shifting SEAT towards such a niche.
For its part, Hyundai is also being moved away from the same low-price/obsolete technology philosophy which once bedevilled it, with the company making a concerted effort to move into the same circles as the VW and Toyota brands.
0 comments ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.
Leave a Comment