The Soul has actually been a strong seller, a brand ambassador, and an aesthetic example for Kia, however as the present model has continued, the numbers have actually dipped. In 2016, the company moved 145,000 of the softly geometric runabouts, a number that reduced by 30,000 for the ’17 model year in a more remarkable decrease than the industry-wide erosion of sales in the very same period.
We ‘d like to blame the absence of an au courant Hamstar Edition, however the reality is that the existing Soul is aging– a process accelerated by the arrival of numerous new competitors in its segment. As much as Kia would have you think that the new Stinger sport tourer is its image leader, for now, that title still belongs to the fun-signifying Soul. Making the next model even more appealing to consumers is paramount.
2019 Kia Soul Platform
The 2019 Kia Soul will share a platform with the soon-to-arrive Hyundai Kona and the Kia Stonic. The latter, like other B-segment utelets, uses a more traditional take on the segment than the upright Soul, but we, like Hyundai-Kia, figure that won’t matter much. With Scion and its xB having actually gone the method of the dodo, and Nissan’s Cube got rid of to some Picassofied asymmetrical limbo, there are but two options for those who jones for a Soul-like item: the Soul and the airier (inside), more gelatinous (outdoors) Fiat 500L, and we’re sorry we brought up the latter.
2019 Kia Soul Powertrain
Kia presently uses a naturally aspirated 130-hp 1.6-liter inline-four, a 2.0-liter four draining 161 horse power, and a turbocharged 1.6-liter 4 good for 201 horsepower, in addition to the electric Soul EV. Given that Hyundai is prepping an electric variation of the Kona, the Soul EV’s continued presence is practically ensured. The internal-combustion powertrains are where things get intriguing. Sources recommend that, while the Kona/Stonic will use a mechanical AWD system, the Soul might feature rear wheels driven through electrical motor. It might be just like exactly what Kia employed in the Trail’ ster concept car it displayed in 2015, and would suggest adding a hybrid or plug-in hybrid version to the range.Hyundai’s Kona will get here with your choice of a 2.0-liter inline-four or a turbocharged 1.6-liter 4, and as such, we anticipate the Soul to hang onto its 2.0 and 1.6 turbo. Kia will desire the base Soul to stay competitively priced, which likely demands the retention of the naturally aspirated 1.6 at the bottom of the line. We wouldn’t be surprised to see the six-speed automatic continue its pairing with the naturally aspirated engines, while the 1.6 turbo is a lock for the dual-clutch system that is presently discovered in the Soul Turbo. The availability of a manual transmission on the next Soul is something of an open question, but we ‘d a minimum of anticipate it to be available on the 1.6.
