[Nithesh_M]

A shame really. Their version of Verna looks better than Hyundai's.

[ADI7YAK]

Kia Soul EV might very well be their next launch, IMO.

Why?
- Kia is going to focus on SUVs and MUVs. Though Soul is neither of them (it’s a crossover kinda thing) they can sell it under SUV category just like Hyundai sells Kona.
- Hyundai’s Chennai plant already has an EV assembly line and Kia can very well take advantage of it.
- Launching ICE Soul makes no sense since it will land up somewhere between Sonet and Seltos making the lineup more confusing. Indian market would go for Seltos any day over Soul for its more SUV like looks.
- As far as I know, there isn’t any other potential car in Kia’s global portfolio to launch in India.
a : Telluride right hand drive variant is still in development
b : Sorento (Santa Fe cousin) has just got a big update and it will be launched in Europe first.
c : They can consider Sportage (Tucson cousin) but looking at Tucson’s sales figures they might back off.
d : Kia says they gathered a ton of positive feedback on Soul from public at Auto Expo 2020.
e : Many journalists were flown to South Korea by Kia to check out the Soul EV.
- As per their India plan, they will launch a new car every 6 months. Sonet was delayed due to obvious reasons however.

All in all if my guesses are correct Kia might line up Soul EV as their next launch for Q1 2021.

Here’s a link to recent news report, though the authenticity is not known.
https://www.zigwheels.com/news-featu...s-rival/39512/

[volkman10]

Kia India Trademarks Soul Moniker.

it is not clear if the ICE version or the EV version will come to the country as the trademark only says the title is proposed to be used for automobiles.

Link

[reinhardt93]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Kia India Trademarks Soul Moniker.

Attachment 2163665


Link

I really hope they bring in the ICE versions first. They are fun little machines and would definitely spice up the Indian car market. I guess their primary target would be people in the 20s to 40s range.

[Vikram Arya]

I’ve been reading the comment section on this thread with interest and I wanted to shed some light on the origin of the Kia Soul story that harks back to the now discontinued Toyota brand called “Scion”.



Back in 2006 when I was at school doing my Masters at UBC we did a Harvard Business School case study so some of the information is courtesy “HBR” however it has been 15 years and I have to rely on my now failing memory . I must mention that we did more 100 case studies and there were only 3 that dealt with car companies and two other pertained to BMW.

In mid-90s in a market study commissioned by Toyota, it was revealed that the median age of a Toyota buyer is 54 years. Alarm bells went off in Toyota USA’s head office with the realization that they are losing on a whole host of customers below the subject age threshold. Upon further research, Toyota’s market researchers realized that the mainstream automotive brands are alienating the Gen Y youngsters and they no longer identify with their staid marketing/advertising and boring product lineup. After a very exhaustive discussion that lasted more than a year the Marketing team at Toyota US then came up with the idea of launching a new brand that will carry cars that will not only create some buzz in the market and also resonate well with the gen Y.


Scion xB

In 2004 Scion launched Scion xB. It was quirky, boxy, and relatively small and had very different interiors; basically, almost everything that cars such as Civic or Corolla were not. The car was a big hit among youngsters although Toyota was aware that they will not be able to mobilize big numbers such as those garnered by Corolla but I guess the thought was that Gen Y youngsters in their late 20s will graduate to cars such as Corolla and so Toyota will have a loyal customer base right at the age when they start to learn to drive. Other models were also launched but most of these never really gained much traction.

This strategy did work for a few years but eventually petered out and Scion brand was merged back into Toyota in 2016. During its entire life (2003-2015) Scion sold 1.1 million cars in total. The last Scion car on sale in North America was Scion FR-S which is now known as Toyota 86.


Nissan Cube

Emulating the same strategy Nissan also launched Nissan Cube in 2009 targeting the same segment. The car though loved by critics and its intended audience never really managed to gain a foothold in the North American market and was pulled in 2014.

Kia latched onto the same concept and launched Soul in US and Canadian market in 2009. The car has undergone three model changes and proven to be the most resilient of the lot and is still on sale. Kia Soul hit its peak in 2015 with more than 200,000 cars sold in US & Canada however it has been on the decline since. In 2020 Kia managed to sell only 80,000 units in the North American market.


Kia Soul

Initially, I was struggling to understand how this car will perform in India. In the North American market Kia Soul starts at roughly the same price level as entry-level Honda CIVIC (yes, that’s not a typo). Okay in all fairness, it comes with 2 ltr. 4 cylinder 147 bhp engine that is unlikely to make it to India. It is about $2,000 cheaper as compared to Kia Seltos. Assuming the Kia will strip it down to bare essentials but even then it will not work out to less than Rs 9 to 11 lacs (ex-showroom). The length of the car is 4195mm so it will lose out on the sub 4 metre tax concessions as well.

Though I’m not very much conversant with the Indian automobile market, I assume at this price point there are many attractive options available to the consumer. But then again if Hyundai can sell its i20 (the superior variants) at that price level then Kia might pull out a proverbial rabbit out of the hat and price it between Rs 8 to 12 lacs with multiple variants kitted to the hilt and they will have a winner on their hands yet again. Besides in the looks department, a lot of folks might actually prefer Kia Soul over its Hyundai cousins (though in my personal opinion it is not particularly a good-looking car by any means). It will resonate well with the folks who are not particularly smitten by the SUVs (cars on stilts really) and would prefer a boxy hatchback.

Kia is on a roll and at least in the Indian context can teach most other automotive manufacturers a thing or two about automotive Marketing, Manufacturing & Sales.

[Kannan]

I was looking forward to the Soul being launched long back and guess the time has come. My interest is in the Soul EV and hope they launch it sooner.

I remember seeing one of the Souls being handed over to N.Chandrababu Naidu (https://www.zigwheels.com/news-featu...ra-govt/32915/).

[papr23]

Originally Posted by Kannan

I remember seeing one of the Souls being handed over to N.Chandrababu Naidu (https://www.zigwheels.com/news-featu...ra-govt/32915/).

Ah! Thanks for the link. I have seen a white colored Soul 4-5 times with a normal registration plate, not a temporary one, in and around Amaravathi and always wondered whose car it could be as it is not on sale here.

[maxratul]

Unless they price it really aggressively, I don't see how this is going to be a volume product. I would rather they overdo the bells and whistles, puts in a quality engine + gearbox + suspension combo and market it as a halo offering.

[JojyKerala]

I'm looking forward to the Soul hitting our shores soon. It's got the potential to shake up the market for sure. Kia will probably come up with another winning formula out of nowhere to make this model a big hit!

Originally Posted by Vikram Arya

I’ve been reading the comment section on this thread with interest and I wanted to shed some light on the origin of the Kia Soul story that harks back to the now discontinued Toyota brand called “Scion”.

Vikram, thanks for sharing this - it's an interesting read.

[volkman10]

Kia Soul -facelift:

- 2022 Kia Soul Loses Manual Gearbox
- Receive the brand's new logo
- The center screen becomes 8"
- Base Price Goes Up $1,700

The 2022 Soul LX has a base price of $19,190 (plus a $1,175 destination fee) and now comes exclusively with an automatic gearbox

Link

[Kannan]

That's a nice looking car and I wish they launch the EV version in India.
I love near boxy designs!

[Mafia]

Though I personally like Kia Soul and have driven it a few times, I am not sure it will work in India. Slightly quirky designs fail.

Though the Kia Soul looks like an enlarged version of the MS WagonR, it may not have many interested parties.