2013 Kia Soul Base on 2040-cars

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Kia Soul EV starts production next month amidst modest sales projections

The hamsters in those Kia Soul commercials? Looks like they'll be riding real quiet and quite clean a little sooner than we thought. Kia is now saying it will start production of the 2015 Soul EV next month, and sales will start later this year in the company's home country of South Korea. Additionally, according to Reuters, Kia is keeping sales expectations low, suggesting it should sell about 5,000 Soul EVs a year at a price of around $39,000, though the out-of-pocket costs should be cut in half because of South Korean government subsidies. Kia's taking a somewhat conservative approach to its early sales target as it focuses largely on the US and Europe during its first phase, said Kia spokesman Michael Choo. "We are currently conducting launch feasibility studies for the secondary phase of Soul EV introduction and plan to expand sales to other countries at a later stage," he said. "Hence, we believe the sales volume of the Soul EV will steadily grow following our initial full year of sales." As for the US, Kia spokesman James Hope tells AutoblogGreen that while the company hasn't set a definitive debut date, "we are targeting Q3 of this year." Hope says Kia isn't providing Soul EV sales guidance for the US, so we'll just have to see where the EV chips fall come September or so. Reuters also notes that sister company Hyundai will start selling its own battery-electric vehicle in 2016, a timetable confirmed by Hyundai Senior Vice President Lee Ki-sang. Both Kia and Hyundai are shooting for a South Korean electric-vehicle market that they hope will expand exponentially from a total of just 713 sales last year. The front-wheel-drive Soul EV will have a 81-kilowatt electric motor, and its single-charge range will be about 120 miles. The model was first shown off at the Chicago Auto Show last month, but Autoblog scored an early prototype test drive ahead of the reveal – check out our feature drive report here. Kia Motors shows Soul EV and next-generation hybrid powertrain at Geneva Show (SEOUL) March 4, 2014 -- The new Kia Soul EV made its European debut at the 84th Salon International de l'Automobile in Geneva, Switzerland, today alongside a special technology exhibit of the brand's next-generation hybrid powertrain.

Kia hatches sporty wagon concept for Frankfurt Motor Show

Kia pulled the covers off a new unnamed concept car that will debut Sept. 12 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. It's a sleek hatchback that previews Kia's direction for the next-generation Cee'd model sold in Europe. This concept is longer, sportier and has more of a sport wagon dynamic than the current Cee'd, which is a homely runabout for the Continent. This concept was conceived at Kia's design center in Frankfurt, Germany, which sits 500 meters, or about 5 1/2 football fields from the Frankfurt Motor Show. No other details were immediately available, but Kia has a history of revealing striking concepts and using elements of them in production models. Kia has also increasingly mined its European design studio for top stylings as it elevates the profile of the brand globally. Meanwhile, Kia will also show the Stonic small crossover in Frankfurt, a vehicle that's a sibling to the Hyundai Kona. IHS Markit, an automotive research firm, forecasts the Stonic will sell about 118,300 units — its peak level — in 2019 as Kia capitalizes on the compact utility trend. Related Video: Design/Style Frankfurt Motor Show Kia Hatchback Wagon Frankfurt 2017 kia ceed

Hyundai confirms a shift to EVs, unveils fuel cell SUV

SEOUL — Hyundai confirmed on Thursday it was placing electric vehicles at the center of its product strategy — one that includes plans for a premium long-distance electric car as it seeks to catch up to Tesla and other rivals. Like Toyota, Hyundai had initially championed fuel cell technology as the future of eco-friendly vehicles but has found itself shifting to electric as Tesla shot to prominence and battery-powered cars have gained government backing in China. Hyundai's debut of its more modestly priced Ionic hybrid and electric has been well-received. But the pure electric's per-charge driving range is much shorter than the Tesla Model 3 or Chevrolet Bolt. Toyota is now also working on longer-distance, fast-charging electric vehicles. Hyundai first started signaling this strategic shift back in May when it first discussed plans to launch an electric sedan under its high-end Genesis brand in 2021 with a range of 500 km (310 miles) per charge. It will also introduce an electric version of its Kona small crossover with a range of 390 km in the first half of next year. "We're strengthening our eco-friendly car strategy, centering on electric vehicles," Executive Vice President Lee Kwang-guk told a news conference, calling the technology mainstream and realistic. The automaker and affiliate Kia, which together rank fifth in global vehicle sales, also said they were adding three plug-in vehicles to their plans for eco-friendly cars, bringing the total to 31 models by 2020. Underscoring Hyundai's electric shift, those plans include eight battery-powered and two fuel-cell vehicles — a contrast to its 2014 announcement for 22 models, of which only two were slated to be battery-powered. Hyundai also confirmed a Reuters report that it is developing its first scaleable, dedicated electric vehicle platform, which will allow the company to produce multiple models with longer driving ranges. HYDROGEN SUV Hyundai unveiled a near production version of its new fuel cell SUV with a driving range of more than 580 km per charge, compared with the 415 km for its current Tucson fuel cell SUV. The mid-sized SUV will be launched in Korea early next year, followed by U.S. and European markets. A fuel cell electric bus is slated to be unveiled late this year, while a sedan-type fuel cell car is also planned. Even so, analysts noted that gaining traction with fuel cells was going to be a long hard slog partly due to a lack of charging infrastructure.