KIA SOUL’STER CONCEPT, 2009 North American Auto Show, Detroit By ALAN GELL www.CarColumns.Net Recently, I attended the Detroit Auto Show, and got caught in all that bad weather with the freezing temperatures and snow.  While it may have been cold outside the convention center, there were some pretty hot cars being unveiled inside.  One of them was a new Concept Car by KIA Motors – the Soul’ster.

The Soul’ster has a very distinctive design that conveys a sense of practicality, yet fun and efficient.  There is no doubt that this Soul’ster is a spin-off from the popular production model Soul.  The Kia Soul was introduced just a few months ago at the Los Angeles Car Show, and is already a big hit due to its style and low pricing.  The Soul’ster is a front-drive car that is more open-air in looks and use, much like the popular Jeep models enjoyed by so many of us over the years.  It is stylish, unique, and it is an affordable, fun convertible for active people.

The Soul’ster isn’t being produced by Henry Ford and his famous “any color as long as it is black.”  But the Soul'ster Concept does share the single color idea.  It comes only in a bright colored yellow.  You won’t be able to blend into the crowd while you are driving this baby.  There is a roll bar that serves a dual purpose, primarily providing a place for the slider tracks.  It also provides rollover protection not found on traditional convertibles, which might give some peace-of-mind to parents of teenagers wishing to take the Soul’ster out for a spin.

The Public Relations folks caused a ripple of laughter during the introductory press conference when the announcer stated, “We are incorporating elbow-grease technology which will enable the two piece top to be opened over the front or back seating areas, and the same elbow-grease technology is used for raising and lowering the windows.”  To keep costs down, the top is manually operated.  The windshield is short, which makes it appear slightly more sporty.  There is an amber glow under the headlamps that helps convey the special “attitude” of the Soul’ster.  All the headlamps, fog lamps, tail lamps, and side-mirror turn signals incorporate a slight shade a blue to continue the distinctive look.

There are dual chrome exhausts and large 19 inch, five spoke aluminum alloy wheels.  The rear area is designed for two full-size adults, which makes this a four-passenger vehicle.  The rear seats fold flat for additional cargo room.  The audio system used dashboard-integrated speakers.  There are storage compartments below both of the rear seats and another storage compartment under the cargo hold area in the back.

The Soul’ster is obviously aimed at a more youthful market than I would be categorized, but it even appeals to me.  I have not yet had the Soul’ster for a test drive, but even though it is a concept, I really believe that this car will become a production model very soon.  There might be some slight changes from what I saw in Detroit, but I would bet the finished product will stay fairly close to the introductory concept.  There will probably be a choice of either a 1.6 liter or a 2.0 liter, four-cylinder engine and either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic.  It is expected that the mileage will exceed 30 miles per gallon.

I’m excited about the Concept Soul’ster and am looking forward and hopeful that  KIA brings it out in full production model later this year.