Korean car maker Kia has become the first non-premium brand in 27 years to top the Initial Quality Survey conducted by J.D. Power in the United States. Now in its 30th year, the J.D. Power IQS is an annual survey that analyses responses from vehicle owners in 26 segments, evaluating driving experience, engine and transmission performance, and a broad range of quality-related problems within the first 90 days of ownership...
Kia is expected to reposition the Soul crossover hatch as its entry-level SUV model within months - but it will mainly come down to price, rather than ride height. Ever since the current-generation Soul arrived on sale in Australia in 2014, it has been considered too dear for what it offered in the market. There has also been a non-existent marketing spend around that model...
Kia Australia insists two of its slowest-selling models, the Rondo MPV and Soul hatch, are firmly part of its local range for the foreseeable future. The Korean company has been pruning back its line-up of late, ditching the slow-selling Pro_Cee’d GT hot hatch late last year and the Cerato Koup range earlier this month on account of meagre sales, though it says it will launch a 'GTi' version of the next-generation 2018 Cerato five-door to offset this, eventually...
Kia Australia has recalled 338 vehicles in its Soul crossover line, over fears that a loose pin could cause a loss of steering control. The Korean manufacturer reports that the steering pinion gear may separate from the steering rack, which poses an accident hazard for the driver and other motorists. A manufacturing fault is the cause of the defect...
A facelift for the second-generation Kia Soul has been spotted by spy photographers in Europe. In production since 2013, the current Soul has a few years of life left in it yet, but Kia is keen to keep things fresh until a new generation version is ready in either 2018 or 2019. It's likely that this facelift will feature the usual complement of new headlights, tailights, bumpers, grilles, and alloy wheels...
Kia Motors Australia is looking to boost the sales of some of its slow-selling models with a new finance deal. Money is cheap right now, with interest rates at record lows, and as such there’s plenty of finance deals on offer for new car buyers. For example, Nissan is offering zero per cent finance on a number of its models that need a few more buyers (Juke, Pulsar and Micra)...
The Kia Soul is now an automatic-only prospect following the local division’s decision to drop the manual variant. The discontinuation of the six-speed manual transmission coincides with the introduction of the 2016 model year range, which now includes just one variant, the Soul Si six-speed automatic...
The Kia Trail'ster concept has been unveiled at the Chicago motor show with a turbocharged motor and an electric all-wheel-drive system. Based on the Kia Soul, the Trail'ster concept takes the tall-boy hatchback and adds a whole bunch of off-road styling cues. The concept isn't all show and no go, though. Under the bonnet, the Trail'ster houses a 1...
Kia has released another teaser image of its new Soul-based concept car and confirmed it will be badged the Kia Trail’ster when it debuts at next week’s Chicago motor show. The latest image (featured above) shows the bottom half of the Trail’ster concept tackling a dirt track. It comes a week after Kia released the initial teaser of the car’s front end ploughing its way through a snowfield...
The Korean company will unveil an off-road concept,based on the Kia Soul, at the upcoming Chicago motor show in early February. Kia isn't saying too much about the concept car at this stage, except that it will sport an "advanced and capable electric all-wheel drive" system...
The Kia Soul could soon form the basis for a new compact SUV from the South Korean brand. Speaking to CarAdvice at an event prior to the 2014 Paris motor show, Kia president and chief design officer Peter Schreyer suggested that the boxy Soul has potential to be turned into something more desirable to potential baby SUV buyers. “Sure we could...
