Key facts
- Manufacturer
- Kia
- Production
- 2008–2025
- Model years
- 2010–2025
- Class
- Subcompact crossover SUV
- Body style
- 5-door hatchback
- Layout
- Front-engine, front-wheel-drive
via Wikipedia infobox
~26 min read
Encyclopedic overview
The Kia Soul (Korean: 기아 쏘울) is a compact five-door, five-passenger hatchback manufactured and marketed by Kia from 2008 to 2025, over three generations. Marketed as a crossover since its introduction, the Soul was a five-door, five-passenger hatchback with a boxy proportion and tall roof, maximizing interior space. Despite its SUV-like styling, the Soul was exclusively available with front-wheel drive.
In a period when small, boxy cars would come to populate the compact U.S. market, prominently the Chrysler PT Cruiser (2000–2010), Scion xB (2004-2015, Honda Element (2003–2011) and Nissan Cube (2009–2014), Kia presented the Kia Soul Concept in 2006 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit and presented the production model at the 2008 Paris Motor Show — aiming for the North American market and targeting buyers in the 18-35 year-old range.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Kia Heart” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.