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Kia Soul EV ad campaign charges up with sexified hamsters

It's official: Kia's adorable Soul-hawking Hamsters have crossed that line. It was one thing when they first hit the scene, and we got a small chuckle out of their trimmer looks for the refreshed, 2014 Soul. This, though, is too much.
This is Kia's latest commercial for the 2015 Soul EV, and it starts off typically enough. The hamsters seem to be tinkering in a laboratory attempting to modify a standard, gas-powered Kia. But then, some Weird Science-like trickery occurs and, well, the results are rather disturbing.
You'll need to watch yourself if you want to experience the horror. Take a look, and then head into Comments and let us know what you think.

New Kia Soul Turbo gets futuristic full-width headlight treatment

When we last saw a prototype of the next-generation Kia Soul, it looked like it wouldn't look all that different from the old one, except for having trendy split headlights. As it turns out, those split headlights are more interesting than we thought. The example of the new compact hatchback shown above reveals that it will have a futuristic-looking full-width headlight treatment, something we haven't really seen since the early Mercury Sable. It's clear from these photos that the full-width lights are not the actual headlights that provide forward illumination. They're just accent lights, but the effect is still impressive. It appears the turn signals are integrated into each end of the big light. The center section also eliminates the old Soul's center grille. Below the lighting unit is an expanded lower grille and large lighting elements on either side. These are real forward-illuminating lights. In the bottom of the lower grille are a pair of foglights much like on the current model. The Soul's profile looks almost unchanged from the current model, leading us to wonder if this is a major update to the existing car, or if it is a new platform that just looks mostly like the old one. The tail end receives some major changes, though. The taillights are now almost completely visible, and although they still run up the rear pillars, they now descend lower and into the hatch area. They appear much more shapely and aren't form fitted to the body. This particular prototype also has a sporty dual exhaust tip in the center. This seems to indicate this is a Kia Soul Turbo model, as does the fact it's parked next to a Hyundai Veloster N. Not much is known about the new Kia Soul. We expect it to be roughly the same size as the current model, and we wouldn't be surprised if Kia offers all-wheel drive to keep it competitive with other tiny crossovers. As for the Kia Soul Turbo, we predict it will use the same turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder that the current model and the new Hyundai Veloster Turbo use. We do hope that Kia will offer it with a manual transmission this time around. Related Video:

Hyundai outlines EV strategy as it struggles with cost of engine defects

SEOUL — South Korea's Hyundai Motor pledged to boost sales of electric vehicles to over half a million by 2025 as part of a bid to focus on new technologies and catch up with rivals, but some analysts saw the target as conservative and warned of the costs. The announcement by Hyundai, the world's fifth largest car maker along with affiliate Kia Motors, underscores the accelerating strategy shift under Euisun Chung, who became the motor group's executive vice chairman last year. Hyundai announced a $35 billion investment last week in mobility and other auto technologies by 2025, less than a month after unveiling a $1.6 billion deal to develop self-driving vehicle technologies with Aptiv. The firm said on Thursday it plans to launch 16 EV models by 2025 to boost sales of such vehicles 17-fold to 560,000 by that year. Still, that would be equivalent to just over 10% of its projected global sales this year. The projection compares with more bullish forecasts offered by its bigger rivals. Volkswagen AG expects to make 22 million EVs over the next decade, while General Motors aims to sell 1 million EVs annually by 2026. "That is not an ambitious target. If Hyundai fails to boost volumes fast enough, costs of electric cars will weigh on profitability," Lee Jae-il, an analyst at Eugene Securities & Investment. Hyundai said that the EV market would face intensifying competition and oversupply soon and automakers failing to meet toughening European emissions regulations will face heavy penalties and suffer a serious blow to their reputation. "EV supply is expected to surpass demand from the second half of next year," Ka Suk-hyun, vice president of Hyundai Motor, told an earnings conference call. Quality issues Hyundai's third-quarter net profit rose 59% to 427 billion won ($365 million), well below the average 684 billion profit estimate of analysts based on Refinitiv data, due to 600 billion won provisions it earmarked to address potential engine defects in the United States and South Korea. Quality issues have been a major drag in Hyundai's attempt to steer a recovery from six consecutive annual profit declines and constrained its financial firepower to invest in future technologies. It is still under investigation by U.S regulators and prosecutors over potential faulty engines in some models. Total retail sales fell 3% in the third quarter, as higher U.S.