2019 Kia Soul with dual centre exhausts spied up close in South Korea
The Kia Soul entered its second generation in 2013 and is due for a complete makeover now. The 2019 Kia Soul is in the works, and it was recently spied up close by a Motorgraph forum member in South Korea.
Moving to its third generation, the Kia Soul will still have a very familiar look, thanks to the largely unchanged proportions. The redesigned model should loosen up some funkiness and look brawnier and more aggressive, though. It appears to have new bumpers, a two-tier headlamp setup, low-positioned front fog lamps on the outer-ends of a large lower air intake, two-tone alloy wheels and vertical LED tail lamps. The central twin exhaust pipes indicate that the test mule is the sportiest configuration of the all-new Kia Soul.
Reports say that the next-gen Kia Soul will ride on the same platform as the Hyundai Kona and the Kia Stonic. The current model is a FWD-only vehicle, available with 1.6L and 2.0L naturally aspirated petrol engines, a 1.6L turbocharged petrol engine and a 1.6L turbocharged diesel engine. 6-speed manual, 6-speed automatic and 7-speed dual-clutch automatic are the transmission choices. Most of these aspects should remain the same post the lifecycle makeover, save for the drivetrain layout. Kia may offer the next-gen Kia Soul in AWD, albeit as a hybrid/plug-in hybrid with an electric motor powering the rear wheels.
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The next-gen Kia Soul is expected to have its world debut at the 2019 LA Auto Show in November.
[Image Source: Motorgraph]