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2014 Kia Soul totally redesigned, now bigger and more refined

The 2014 Kia Soul has been unveiled at the 2013 New York Auto Show, and the all-new five-door box-on-wheels offers up nearly an extra inch of wheelbase and a track that's wider by .6 inches. The changes offer up a bit more space indoors, and since overall height has remained the same, the Soul now looks a bit less top heavy than before. A wider rear hatch opening also makes loading and unloading cargo easier. Indoors, the 2014 Soul offers a substantially revised cabin with more soft-touch materials, and leather seats are now on the option sheet. Designers borrowed inspiration from the Kia Track'ster Concept indoors, using organic lines throughout.
An available eight-inch touch screen takes care of infotainment duties on the center stack, and now features the ability to scroll through content by flicking a finger, just like a smartphone, instead of paging through multiple screens. Buyers can also fit their 2014 Soul with a larger TFT LCD color screen in the instrument cluster, which now displays turn-by-turn directions on vehicles equipped with navigation.
Engineers managed to create a chassis that's also 29-percent stiffer, with 66 percent of the shell using ultra-high-strength steel for safety and rigidity. Under the hood, base models bow with a 1.6-liter direct-injection four-cylinder engine with 130 horsepower and 118 pound-feet of torque, while Plus and Exclaim trims get a more potent direct-injection 2.0-liter four-cylinder. That engine develops 164 hp and 151 lb-ft of torque, and both mills can be bolted to either a six-speed manual or automatic depending on trim. Check out the full press release below for more information.

The 2018 Kia Rio makes a quiet debut in New York

While the 2017 New York Auto Show might be dominated by another variant of the Dodge Challenger, the new 2018 Kia Rio sedan proves that the show isn't all about horsepower and quarter-mile times. We saw the latest iteration of the littlest Kia last fall in Paris, but we all know how much America loves sedans, so the Korean automaker saved the four-door debut for the US. The Rio gets a ground-up redesign for what will be its fourth generation. The design predictably looks like a shrunken version of the midsize Optima. Its handsome, if not exactly groundbreaking. All Rios ride on 15-inch wheels. Although they provide plenty of sidewall to soften the ride, they look just a little too small for the car. Both the sedan and five-door models are slightly longer than the previous models, meaning there's a bit of extra leg and trunk space than before. Inside, like the current Optima, expect a stark improvement over the previous generation when it comes to fit, finish, and interior materials. From the A pillar forward, the Rio sedan is essentially the same as the five-door. Notably for the segment, top-trim Rios have a touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Power comes solely from a 130 horsepower 1.6-liter inline four, a decent amount of power for this class. Drivers have the option of either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic. Fuel economy numbers haven't been announced, but expect it to meet or exceed the previous model's rating of 27 city and 36 highway. The sedan and five-door models are set to go on sale later this year. Related Video:

Rumored Kia Soul EV spied for the first time

Up until now, we've only heard rumors about an all-electric version of the second-generation Kia Soul, but these spy shots seem to confirm that the Korean automaker is developing a zero-emission version of its quirky little box-back. Our most recent report has the Kia EV showing up in the first half of next year (likely for MY 2015) with a starting price of around $35,000 (presumably before tax credits) and a range of about 120 miles.
While the front and rear of this prototype remains heavily camouflaged, we can see some differences between this car and the 2014 Soul we saw earlier in the year at the New York Auto Show. For starters, the entire front end seems to be changed, including the hood, headlights and fascia, and we would expect Kia's so-called Tiger Nose grille to be blocked off for improved aerodynamics. Further supporting our shooter's claims that this is an electric vehicle is the fact that the Soul's exhaust pipe is missing from beneath the rear fascia.
Previous reports have indicated that the Soul EV will become "the very-first electic vehicle to be sold in the global market, including the US, Europe and China." It would appear that claim may be validated by technicality only - Nissan sells its Leaf in the US and Europe, and it will reportedly be sold as the Dongfeng Fengshen E30 in China.