2020 Kia Soul teases boxy good looks, will break cover in LA
Expect more of the same, which in this case is a very good thing.
Even though the Kia Soul is a little old, we at Roadshow are big fans of Kia's boxy little thing, since it's always offered fun styling and oodles of versatility. And soon, we'll have a whole new one to fall in love with all over again.
Kia announced on Wednesday that it will bring its next-generation Soul to the LA Auto Show . Kia's press conference is on Nov. 28, so expect more information about the Soul to come around then. Until then, this teaser is all we have to work with.
From what I can see, the Soul's styling stays pretty true to the outgoing generation, although there's an additional flourish by way of a darker panel that gives the roof the "floating" look that's pretty popular these days. The taillights look a little different, but not too different. Kia claims the design will be "immediately recognizable," so don't expect revolution here.
Kia also confirmed in a press release that the new Soul will have a variety of powertrain options. It'll likely carry over the same turbocharged engine it received in recent years, but the biggest news is that the Soul EV is destined to return. In a perfect world, Kia would actually sell them in all 50 US states this time around -- the current Soul EV is relegated to states with zero-emission-vehicle requirements. But it's not likely, since Kia's press release says the 2020 Soul EV "will be available in select retailers in select markets with limited availability," which is lame.
Kia's been on a new-vehicle tear lately. At SEMA , the company showed off the 2020 Kia Forte GT, packing a 201-horsepower turbocharged engine to help compete against cars like the Honda Civic Si . The automaker is also preparing to launch the 2020 Telluride, a three-row SUV that will flesh out the larger end of Kia's lineup. Here's hoping the new Soul is equally fresh.
