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Kia Soul EV will go on sale in four more US states

Live from New York, it's the Kia Soul Electric Vehicle! The South Korea-based automaker believes its first mass-produced EV is a ready-for-prime-time-player and will start selling the EV in the Empire State during the fourth quarter. Kia will also expand Soul EV sales to New Jersey, Connecticut, and Maryland, giving the model some pretty good coverage along the Eastern Seaboard. Perhaps those funky hamsters will find yet another reason to rock out. The expansion may be a sign that Americans are gravitating to the Soul EV as quick or quicker than expected. The model delivers 109 horsepower and, probably more importantly, a single-charge range of 93 miles. Kia started selling the Soul EV in California late last year. Then, earlier this year, distribution was expanded to Georgia, Texas, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii. Additionally, the Soul was given the first-ever Canadian Green Car of the Year Award. The car sells for a base price of $33,950, and that's before any federal tax incentives kick in. Additionally, Kia may be coming out with a "more" base model that cuts that price by another $2,000. With the fed's help, that could bring the cost down into the $24,000 range, Some states have their own incentives as well. As for New York, eight dealerships will start selling the Soul EV, while six New Jersey dealerships will also have that honor. Take a look at Kia's press release below and go here for our Quick Spin impressions of the car. Related Videos:

2020 Kia Soul X-Line Review | At least it looks the part

The Kia Soul was always intended to be a city creature. When it was launched a decade ago, it was an answer to weird city cars like the Scion xB and Nissan Cube. It had funky styling, bright colors, and speakers with lights that pulsed to your music. The 2020 Kia Soul may be an evolution in terms style and size from that original version, but the market has changed to frame it in a different light. The JDM boxes are gone, succeeded by a variety of sub-compact SUVs like the Honda HR-V, Jeep Renegade and Hyundai Kona. The previous Soul competed very well with them, and the new version for 2020 does even better, offering a compelling recipe of value, space and style. It still doesn't offer all-wheel drive, but then, neither does the Nissan Kicks or Toyota C-HR. Nevertheless, all of these vehicles are supposed to be able to leave town once in a while, to perhaps get dirty (or carry things that might, like a mountain bike or kayak). That’s part of the appeal of the segment, to enable an Instagram-friendly lifestyle. ThatÂ’s why the 2020 Kia Soul X-Line was hatched. To find out how it does at satisfying its mission, I set out on a road trip from Portland into Central Oregon toward the towns of Redmond and Bend. ItÂ’s a trek made daily by countless Subaru Crosstreks, a vehicle Kia almost certainly hopes to poach some customers from. I even brought a current Crosstrek owner along for the ride. Outside, the Subaru playbook was consulted and the requisite black plastic body cladding applied to the fascias, rocker and doors. The grille has a more rugged mesh insert accented by foglights and tasteful alloy-look trim, which is also used on the rocker panels, mirror caps and roof rails that are only available from the factory on the X-Line. The halogen headlights are in the same place as they are on lower Soul trim levels, but the alloy-look trim draws more attention to them – they look a bit like big, old-school driving lights. In total, it does indeed make the Soul look like a little SUV – and an attractive one at that, especially when painted Undercover Green. Sadly, our test car was Gravity Gray. The interior, by contrast, isnÂ’t any more special than the base trim. There's handsome, textured silver plastic trim on the doors and it comes with "Black Woven Cloth" that's actually quite nice for a car that costs $21,000. There are no Jeep-like rugged details or decals.

Motorcyclist lucky to escape with life after 100-mph crash

A motorcyclist tried to run from the California Highway Patrol in San Diego in the wee hours of February 9, but things didn't quite work out as he planned. In fact, the fleeing rider is lucky to be alive after colliding with a Kia at over 100 miles per hour during, ending, rather abruptly, the pursuit. The video on The San Diego Union-Tribune below shows the collision, but you might need to watch it a few times to see what happens. The bike shoots by in a flash, and then there are suddenly sparks when the cycle hits the rear of the car. Watch the left side of shot to see the rider standing by the median after the crash. Police quickly arrive to the scene to apprehend him. The guy is wearing a helmet but understandably appears to be in pain after the high-speed accident. The crash ripped the front end off the rider's Suzuki, but the Kia's driver wasn't harmed – though clearly shaken. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, police took the motorcycle rider to the hospital to treat undisclosed injuries. What's Now: A motorcyclist going at least 100 mph slammed into the back of a car on I-805 early this morning. Remarkably, he was left standing on his own two feet before being arrested. Story: sdut.us/1TaOjDM Posted by The San Diego Union-Tribune on Tuesday, February 9, 2016 Related Video: