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New Kia Soul production model will retain concept´s name

FRANKFURT, Germany - Kia Motors Corporation has confirmedthat its all-new production model will retain the spirit and name of theSOUL concept cars shown earlier this year at the Geneva Motor Show and thefirst SOUL concept automobile which debuted at the 2006 North AmericanInternational Auto Show in Detroit.

As well as confirming the name, Kia has released the first officialphotograph of the production car, which will be called the ´Kia Soul´.

“Reaction from the media and public to the three SOUL concept carsfirst unveiled at the Geneva Show in March and shown subsequently at otherinternational events, has been overwhelmingly positive,” enthused MrHyoung-Keun Lee, Senior Executive Vice President and COO, InternationalBusiness Division, Kia Motors Corporation. “This reaction, plus thefact that both physically and emotionally, the SOUL concept cars are soclosely related to the new Kia Soul production car, made it a naturalchoice to retain this evocative name.”

“The SOUL concept cars reveal a whole new ´fun´ side to Kia. Theysignal that our new Kia Soul production model is poised to defy conventionsand offer buyers a ´world of possibilities´ for expressing theirpersonality. This new model will reach out to new groups of consumers,appealing especially to the young and young-at-heart – whatever theirage,” added Mr Lee.

The three concept cars – SOUL Burner, SOUL Diva and SOUL Searcher– were created by Kia´s European design team led by GregoryGuillaume, under the guidance of Kia´s Chief Design Officer, PeterSchreyer. They were developed from the original SOUL concept automobile designedjointly by Kia´s California and Korea design studios and unveiled in 2006at Detroit.

Speaking about the choice of name for the original 2006 Detroit conceptcar, Tom Kearns, chief designer of Kia Motors America commented, “Wewanted to inject some life into this car´s design, to give it a soul. Andthe word ´Soul´ is a homophone for the home city of Kia Motorsheadquarters, in Korea, so it is a fun play on words.”

Kia´s Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer, strongly endorsed that namechoice at the Geneva Show earlier this year, commenting, “The nameSOUL accurately reflects how people will be able to ´express their spirit– their psyche´ with this new product. Through a variety of options,accessories and colours, they will be able to personalise their Kia Souland create a sense of individuality, making their new automobile a true reflectionof their personality.”

Looking ahead to the 2008 Paris Motor Show, Gregory Guillaume observed,“Because the new Kia Soul is not a replacement for an existingvehicle and is destined to play a unique role within the Kia globalline-up, it can be a bit of a rebel! The trio of Geneva concepts were´appetisers´ for the new model introduction at Paris, and you can becertain that the new Kia Soul model will retain the core DNA of the threeexciting concepts.”

The all-new Kia Soul defies classification, and its design willencourage customers to build an emotional bond with this rebellious newcar. To be made in Korea from September 2008, Kia Soul will provide acreative platform for buyers to individualise and match their automobile to theirown personality.

The new Kia Soul production automobile will make its world premiere at theParis Motor Show in early October 2008.