Autoblog UK

The much-loved Kia Soul will shortly be available in a new special edition. Kia Denim Soul, with its white wheel rims, will soon be gracing our roads. It will, of course, be the colour of blue jeans, with a sporty stripe from front to back. The seats will be covered in denim by Levi. Further details from the Korean manufacturer are expected in the near future.

In the last few months, over 6,500 Kia Soul vehicles have been sold in Europe, which was more than Kia Motors had forecast. The launch of the Kia Soul in Australia and the USA was equally successful, with 3,200 new sales in April alone. In contrast to the overall trend in the market, Kia Motors increased its April sales figures in eight European countries. The biggest rises were in Slovakia (91%), Austria (51%) and Germany, where sales were up by 42%.

At the Paris Motor Show, the first designs of the Kia Soul Hybrid were on show with transparent bonnets. In Shanghai, Kia presented a finished model with hybrid drive at the motor show. The two-tone bodywork has been livened up by neat green design features. Like the concept car from Paris, the car is fitted with a 4-cylinder engine and a 15WkW electric motor. The first pictures are visible in the gallery and further data are to follow.

The Kia Soul has won a Red Dot Design Award. This accolade from the Design Centre in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with an additional 'honourable mention', was given to the boxy small car for its particularly snazzy detailing.

With more than 11,000 submissions from 61 countries, Red Dot is the biggest design competition in the world. The products entered are judged by a panel of international experts who review and test them and also evaluate them against criteria such as their degree of innovation, functionality, ergonomics, longevity, ecological impact and user-friendliness. The awards ceremony will take place at the Opera House in Essen (Germany) on 29th June 2009.

KIA Cube Soul - Rocker, Shocker and O.T.T. An inexperienced car freak would have been fully justified in thinking that Nissan had frantically made some desperate changes following their presentation on day one of the L.A. Auto Show, because the Cube was something that one - err - had to get to used to. Nope - big mistake! The badge up front is not a Nissan one, but proudly boasts the legend "KIA"! A different company, different country and completely different philosophy, even if that doesn't become apparent right away.

Still, with the aid of a little concentration, a very close eye and a certain degree of fantasy, you can see some differences. Unlike its competitor, the KIA Soul is a touch more rounded off at the edges, In the case of the Cube, the windows are visually separated, whereas the Soul shows a flowing transition. On top of that, the Koreans offer a wide range of options in models, colours and equipment.

Would you prefer the 1.6 litre engine with 118 HP or can you handle the 2.0 litre power pack with its 142 HP?

Manual or automatic? The combinations available are apparently almost unlimited, because with their KIA Soul, the Koreans are going for the young market and offering them everything to gladden their hearts. Once you have made your choice from the Rocker, Shocker and O.T.T. models, you can really get down to business with the myriad options. For instance, there is a USB port for all those who prefer not to listen to music from a mobile phone. Connect an iPod and you can operate it directly from the steering wheel, which must be a reassuring step in the direction of collision-free motoring.

If KIA were to put in a kettle, you could virtually move into the new Soul with your mates and live there. But hang on - there's the USB port! With what we've heard about USB central heating, USB microwaves through to USB washing machines, surely some kind soul can come up with a USB kettle?