Kia made a big splash at the 2009 North American International Auto Show when it unveiled the funky Soul'ster Concept. Despite its polarizing 2-door open-top SUV design that harks back to the Suzuki X90, the Soul'ster was received very well by the media and public, and rumours surfaced of production intent in the near future. Well, according to Ward's Auto, Kia has now cancelled its plans to build the Soul'ster for production.In order for Kia to green-light a production Soul’ster, Orth Hedrick, director of product planning, stated “You have to have broader appeal” to justify the development time and money it would take to bring the model to market. He added that a production Soul'ster would be an “almost all-new vehicle,” due to structural and weight differences from the current Soul.
“The business case is really what we have to keep studying all the time,” said Hedrick, noting developing and selling Soul variants would be a challenge, “especially in this environment.”
In the interview conducted by Ward's Auto, Hedrick also stated that the Soul will undergo styling changes to the front and rear, as well as receive more up-level content, for the mid-cycle change in 2012.
[Source: Ward's Auto]
