Kia dropped a spoiler photo of a new Kia Soul Crossover that will 
arrive with several powertrain options, including a “gas-free” electric variant that looks to build on the success of the Kia Soul EV.
The new Soul Crossover will go on sale next year as a 2020 model year vehicle. In typical Kia style, it will be available with several powertrain options, including a turbocharged variant and a fully electric offering. The single spoiler photo teases some additional body paneling coming off of the rear window and what could be some new curvature to the traditionally rather boxy vehicle.
Questions abound, as they inevitably do after teasers — what will the range be, what will it cost, how many will they build, where in the world are they getting the batteries, where will they be built and on and on.
For now, we have the single picture and will cling to the hope that Kia is able to build on the limited success of the production-constrained Kia Soul EV and the more functional Hyundai Ioniq EV and push its electric vehicle offerings into the mainstream.
As it stands today, the normal Kia Soul is an extremely versatile vehicle that proved to be surprisingly spacious and loaded with useful additions that made the interior much more functional than expected after looking at its quirky exterior. And the hamsters. It’s easy to think that Tesla was the first one to use hamsters to sell cars, but it was Kia that really brought them into the mainstream…or something like that.
Either way, the new Kia Soul Crossover holds the promise of bringing the promise of electric vehicles into the lucrative crossover space. If it can deliver them at mainstream production volumes, at a price that’s competitive, it could prove to be a big player in EVs.
We will be at the LA Auto Show in two weeks for a few events and will keep our eyes peeled for what Kia is bringing to the future of EVs.
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