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Kia announced that the production variant of the three concepts revealed in March at the Motor Show in Geneva will retain the name and spirit. Production variant SOUL will make the world debut at the Paris Auto Show this autumn.
鈥淩eaction from the media and public to the three SOUL concept cars first unveiled at the Geneva Show in March and shown subsequently at other international events, has been overwhelmingly positive,鈥� enthused Mr Hyoung-Keun Lee, the Senior Executive Vice President and COO, at International Business Division - Kia Motors Corporation. 鈥淭his reaction, plus the fact that both physically and emotionally, the SOUL concept cars are so closely related to the new Kia Soul production car, made it a natural choice to retain this evocative name.鈥�
鈥淭he SOUL concept cars reveal a whole new 麓fun麓 side to Kia. They signal that our new Kia Soul production model is poised to defy conventions and offer buyers a 麓world of possibilities麓 for expressing their personality. This new model will reach out to new groups of consumers, appealing especially to the young and young-at-heart 鈥� whatever their age,鈥� continued Mr Lee.
Speaking about the name for the original Detroit 2006 concept car choice , Tom Kearns, the chief designer of Kia Motors America said, 鈥淲e wanted to inject some life into this car麓s design, to give it a soul. And the word 麓Soul麓 is a homophone for the home city of Kia Motors headquarters, in Korea, so it is a fun play on words.鈥�
Peter Schreyer, Kia麓s Chief Design Officer, strongly endorsed that the name choice at the Geneva Show this year, commenting, 鈥淭he name SOUL accurately reflects how people will be able to 麓express their spirit 鈥� their psyche麓 with this new product. Through a variety of options, accessories and colours, they will be able to personalise their Kia Soul and create a sense of individuality, making their new car a true reflection of their personality.鈥�
Looking ahead to the Paris Motor Show 2008, Gregory Guillaume commented, 鈥淏ecause the new Kia Soul is not a replacement for an existing vehicle and is destined to play a unique role within the Kia global line-up, it can be a bit of a rebel! The trio of Geneva concepts were 麓appetisers麓 for the new model introduction at Paris, and you can be certain that the new Kia Soul model will retain the core DNA of the three exciting concepts.鈥�
The all-new Kia Soul production auto will make the world premiere in early October 2008 at the Paris Motor Show.
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