Kia has issued some more details and photographs of its new tallboy supermini alternative, the Soul. Kia calls the Soul ‘a segment-busting urban crossover’ model, but we’d pigeonhole it as an intriguing new rival to the likes of the Honda Jazz and Vauxhall Meriva, with a small dose of Mini charm thrown in for good measure.
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In April of 2009, the Scion xB will finally get some stiff competition from Kia in the form of the Soul. As reported previously, the new model will debut at the Paris Motor Show in October, measuring 161 inches long, 70 inches wide and 63 inches tall. According to Automotive News, the Soul will be packing either a 1.6- or 2.0-liter gasoline engine powering the front wheels when it arrives in the States, while European consumers get a choice of a 1.6-liter gasoline or diesel engine.
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Kia’s diminutive new compact, the Soul, will get two gasoline engines and a turbodiesel, the automaker said on Tuesday.

The Soul is scheduled to launch in the United States in April 2009.

The Soul’s family of powerplants is made up of 2.0-liter and 1.6-liter gasoline engines, which are joined by a 1.6-liter diesel unit with a variable geometry turbocharger.

The smaller engines are similar to what the automaker uses on a European model, called the Cee’d.

Kia says the engines will be marketed globally but didn’t specify which ones are coming to the United States.

The production Soul, a front-wheel-drive, five-door hatchback, bows at the Paris auto show in October.

It rides on a modified version of the Rio platform and will offer manual and automatic transmissions.

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