Hip to be Square
When Kia launched the Soul in 2008, it was amid a craze in which automakers were selling boxy subcompact cars left and right. It took a while for it to land in America, but when it arrived stateside for the 2010 model year, it was a smash hit. Perhaps it was the hamsters, but the Soul struck a chord with American buyers.
Through the years, the competitors that spurned Kia to build the Soul in the first place have dropped out of the race. There was the Scion xB, axed in 2015, along with the Nissan Cube, discontinued in America in 2014 and eventually retired in Japan in 2019. The Soul soldiered on, but Kia announced that it would be no more after 2025. 17 years, over 1.5 million sold, and a legion of loyal fans have since been established.
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The Last Souls
According to Automotive News, there are just 100 Souls left on dealer lots nationwide. Unsurprisingly, these are being snapped up quickly, and by the time you read this, they’re probably all gone by now. For fans, it’s a good time to scour showrooms to ask whether any are in stock.
Several passionate Soul owners spoke to Automotive News, including one who bought some of the few remaining cars still available. Owners lauded the car for its ease of driving, efficiency, and design as key factors in their purchase. At the same time, some mentioned that the car was classless and could be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of financial or social standing.
Kia
Kia Soul Through the Years
The Soul made its world premiere in South Korea in 2008 and was introduced to the U.Ss market for the 2010 model year. In its first full year of sales in America, Kia shifted 67,110 units, but those numbers jumped to 102,267 in 2011. For the next seven years, Kia consistently sold over 100,000 Souls in the U.S.
The second-generation Soul came out in 2013 for the 2014 model year. It would give the nameplate its best sales, peaking at 147,133 units in 2015. Come the third generation in 2019, sales dipped below 100,000, the pandemic hit, and sales hovered in the 50,000 to 60,000 unit mark. Despite that, it’s still not something anyone would call a slow seller.
Still, Kia won’t be making a fourth-generation Soul, and there’s no successor in sight. Right now, the smallest crossover the brand makes is the Seltos, which lacks the boxy charm of the Soul. But the legacy of the small, boxy crossover will live on for a long time thanks to the thousands of fans it has built over the years.
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