EXCLUSIVE: Official Images of USDM Kia Soul

Yet to appear on Kia's Media website, we have the first official images of the American-spec 2010 Kia Soul. Due to go on sale in April 2009, Kia is pitting its stylish box against the Honda Element, Scion xB, and the upcoming Nissan Cube. As well, Kia is expected to price the Soul very competitively.

Penned by Peter Schreyer - the renowned car designer responsible for bringing the Audi TT and Audi's Bauhaus look to life - the Soul is Kia's boldest offering in terms of design ever, as evident from the slew of striking design elements such as the sleek front fascia and the bulging wheel arches. The eye catching theme continues inside with the sporty interior and the evident attention to detail judging from the official images.

While an array of engines including a frugal VGT diesel is available elsewhere in the world, Kia will pack a potent 142 horsepower 2.0L 4-cylinder gasoline engine standard in every Soul. A five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic is available. In addition to the expected slew of features in the Soul, Kia will offer an unprecedented choice of customizations and accessories for the Soul - similar to Scion's method that has met well with the Gen-Y crowd.

We have also included pictures of a test drive/media event for the USDM Soul that Kia hosted in Korea. Follow the jump to view more images.

Posted in: Kia