Kia Trademarks Soul Brand Name In India | V3Cars

07 June 2021
By Saransh Goyal
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Kia has trademarked the Soul name in India. However, it should not be seen as an official confirmation for the Soul SUV’s India launch as the carmaker could have trademarked the name just to stop other carmakers from using it.

Kia had already showcased the third-gen Soul SUV in India at the 2020 Auto Expo. While the SUV showcased here was an EV, the SUV is offered globally in petrol-powered avatar as well. The carmaker has handed over some examples of the Soul EV to the Andhra Pradesh government as well.

Talking about the dimensions, the Soul SUV is 4195mm long, 1800mm wide and 1605mm tall. It has a wheelbase of 2600mm. It can be seen as Kia’s version of the Hyundai Kona SUV, which is already on sale in India as an EV. For reference, the Kona EV is 4180mm long, 1800mm wide and 1570mm tall. It has a wheelbase of 2600mm.

Globally, the petrol-powered Kia Soul gets a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine (147PS/178Nm) paired to a CVT and a 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine (201PS/264Nm) and a 7-speed DCT. The Soul EV, on the other hand, gets an electric motor that makes 204PS and 395Nm torque. It draws power from a 64kWh battery pack and has a claimed range of 448km.

The Kia Soul EV also comes with a smaller 136PS/395Nm electric motor that draws power from a smaller 39.2kWh battery pack. It has a claimed range of 277km. It is the same electric powertrain that Hyundai offers on the India-spec Kona EV. So, if launched in India, expect the Soul EV to share its electric powertrain with the Kona EV.

Kia has no plans of launching the Soul SUV in India as of now. Kia recently launched the updated Seltos and Sonet in India and plans to launch a new 7-seater SUV in early 2022. It is likely to be Kia’s take on the upcoming Hyundai Alcazar.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Saransh Goyal

He is an automobile engineer who likes to write. A born Tifosi, he follows Formula 1 and likes to keep up with upcoming technologies in the world of cars.

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