Filed under: Economy, Paris Motor Show, Hatchbacks, Kia
Kia Soul gets its emo on, visits Vans Warped Tour
Looking startlingly like a Vans shoe, preproduction versions of Kia's Soul will be doing their roadie routine with the Vans Warped Tour in the U.S. this summer. The front and rear of the car will be hidden under camo tape done up like Vans trademark checkerboard pattern, and dark windows will keep prying eyes out, but kids will still get a good look at what's on offer.
Taking what appears to be more than a few pages from the Scion playbook, the Warped Tour sponsorship will also include things like interactive Soul Lounges with live DJs, airbrush tattoo artists, and plenty of contests. There's even going to be a solar powered stage. Kids with custom Kia wristbands will get into Kia VIP sections near the main stages, and everyone can keep up with the action at Kia's concert blog site.
If what you want to do is actually see the car, Kia won't bare its Soul completely until the Paris Motor Show later this year.
[Source: Kia]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jaime Haber 9:35AM (6/20/2008)
Those wheels are AWESOME.
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Pacman 9:44AM (6/20/2008)
Has a similar roofline to a Saab concept I remember. I kind of like it. Is it about the size of a Mini?
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Pacman 9:45AM (6/20/2008)
...only a little bigger with the extra doors. :)
Michael 9:44AM (6/20/2008)
The wheels are cool, but otherwise... stupid.
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Parkerman 10:33AM (6/20/2008)
Emo? Lets hope it doesn't start cutting its fuel lines for attention... lol
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Bob-omb 11:00AM (6/20/2008)
That was awful. And awesome.
ZetoSanNi 11:02AM (6/20/2008)
lol. nice one. I like the wheels--thats about it.
C.D. Ward 10:37AM (6/20/2008)
Shouldn't they have called this the Kia Seoul?
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Mobius_1 10:54AM (6/20/2008)
As a certain Top Gear audience said of the Copen once, this is an "expensive shoe", but more so
So can you buy this in Vans stores?
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Bob-omb 11:01AM (6/20/2008)
The Seoul pun is already built into the name. It's been discussed to death already.
Hey, Kia! Instead of designing funky variant after funky variant, BUILD THE DAMNED THING. It'd be nice to able to, ya know, look at a regular Soul.
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Jaime Haber 1:58PM (6/20/2008)
Just don't take one of these to Georgia... I hear the Devil likes to steal them down there.
Rick 7:28PM (6/20/2008)
I can't stand that slanted roofline.
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David 10:07PM (6/20/2008)
WTF? since when is Warped Tour emo?
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tio 11:07AM (6/21/2008)
Since the writer doesn't know his generes and saw Fall Out Boy listed on the line up in 2004.
calebe 10:52AM (6/21/2008)
I'm stoked actually. I hope it looks good in person.
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BlackEmblem 11:27PM (6/21/2008)
Got my vans on but they look like Kias.
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gerrrg 2:56PM (7/25/2008)
"Cut-and-Paste Marketing" seems to follow the soulless nature of Korean manufacturers, always copying and pasting engineering and design from the Japanese.
Oh well, at least Samsung and LG moved beyond that phase awhile back, and began doing original engineering and design this past 10 years.
Now if only Kia-Hyundai could see fit to learn from the other Chaebo.
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