Kia Soul Is Here In Malaysia!!!

Sorry the car is not for sale yet here in Malaysia. The car is actually one of a showcase car apart from Kia Forte of Naza Kia booth at The Curve Center Court. As you may aware, the KIA Soul is the World Cup 2010 Official Car and to mark this soccer madness month, Naza has brought the car for our viewing here in Malaysia. One of my insiders in Naza has informed me that the Kia Soul was actually have been brought to the Naza Automobile Manufacturing (NAM) in Gurun, Kedah. There is no news yet whether Naza will assemble the car or not, but the car that has been displayed at The Curve might be use to gauge the customer acceptance and perception before a decision is made whether it’s viable or not to proceed with this CKD project.

Some information about the Kia Soul. This compact mini MPV is designed at Kia's design center in California, unveiled at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, manufactured in South Korea and marketed globally beginning with model year 2010. There are a few engine options available for this car with the 2 inline 4 petrol engines and 1 diesel engine. The base model with the petrol engine is a 1.6 liter unit producing 122bhp and mated with a five speed manual transmission. The higher trim features a 2.0 liter unit producing 142 bhp connected to a standard five-speed manual transmission with a four-speed automatic available as a stand-alone option. A 1.6 liter diesel engine producing 128 bhp and 260 Nm torque is offered in European models, mated to a five-speed manual gearbox.

In terms of safety, the Kia Soul has achieved a maximum of five stars EuroNCAP test and this has translated to the Kia Soul among the safest B-segment family cars in the world. No wonder this car has been use as the official car for the World Cup 2010 event. Enjoy the pics that I have managed to capture at The Curve Center Court area.