Music-inspired Kia Souls overload our senses

Wed, 06 Nov 2013

SEMA has been pretty mellow this year in terms of over-the-top mod jobs. Sure, there have been some questionable choices, but none have been quite as questionable as the vehicle you see above. This is one of five versions of the redesigned Kia Soul that have been rolled out for the show, all of which take their inspiration from music.

The Vans Warped Tour Soul is the airbrushed vehicle you can see above. Its questionable paint job is accentuated by eight eight-inch Infinity speakers in the side windows, a slide-out barbecue and a 50-inch flat panel monitor on the roof. We imagine this is what happens when you let Xzibit near your Kia Soul. The Vans Warped Tour car also features LED ambient lighting, and the wheels are moderately sized for a SEMA vehice – just 20-inches.

The Amped Soul (above, left) isn't a car, so much as a car-shaped enclosure for several very big speakers. The passenger-side B-pillar has been removed, and the rear door has been replaced with a suicide door, allowing the driver to put the massive stereo on display. LED lighting and four twelve-inch Infinity subwoofers have been fitted, as well as a JBL Pro Live "club-sized stereo." Those gold wheels are 22-inch Forgiato, three-piece items.

The purple Kia (above, right) was designed by the team at Rides magazine, and has been dubbed the DJ Booth Soul. There's no roof for this hamster shuttle, as it's been removed, allowing a DJ to rise up on a stage situated where the backseats would be. Three-spoke, 19-inch wheels from Rotiform actually look nice, partially due to the lowered ride provided by the Ark Performance springs. A speaker enclosure sits in the grille, while LED and strobe lighting turn wherever the DJ Booth Soul is into a party.

The fourth Soul on display is the Music Memorabilia car (above, left), a mobile museum with musical artifacts from the likes of Slash, 50 Cent, Jimi Hendrix and John Legend. Each item is on display in a custom trunk enclosure. The platinum paint and gold wheels are inspired by platinum and gold records, while the interior sports gold diamond sticking and a mix of suede and leather.

Finally, The Voice Soul (above, right) is inspired by NBC's talent reality show of the same name. Wearing not-so-subtle red paint and a The Voice logo on the side, its design is perhaps the simplest of the five cars. Twenty-inch wheels add a bit more visual flair, but this Soul is all about its interior. The coaches' chairs from the show replace the standard seats, while red leather, black suede and red stitching dominate. The newest iPad Mini is hooked up to a 40-inch TV, a microphone and the car's Rockford Fosgate speakers, turning the whole thing into a mobile karaoke bar.

KIA MOTORS AMERICA ELECTRIFIES LAS VEGAS WITH MUSIC-DRIVEN SOULS AT SEMA
Inspired by the Eclectic World of Contemporary Music, Kia Partners with RIDES Magazine and Popular Mechanics to Open the Show in Amplified Fashion

- Five 2014 Souls debut with live mobile performances, featuring a cutting-edge DJ station and a pro-sound-quality, plug-in-ready amplifier on wheels
- NBC's The Voice and Vans Warped Tour are represented with their own themed Soul urban hatchbacks
- A rolling music museum Soul pays homage to the art form with memorabilia spanning multiple genres

LAS VEGAS, November 5, 2013 – Kia Motors America (KMA) today provided the perfect rolling soundtrack to Las Vegas' never-ending light show as the 2013 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show opened with five music-inspired all-new 2014 Soul urban passenger vehicles, collectively making their presence known with a display worthy of the best Las Vegas nightclub parties. The five sound-blasting creations feature music-themed builds including a DJ Booth Soul, an "Amped" Soul, the museum-like Music Memorabilia Soul, a Soul inspired by NBC's hit show, The Voice, which Kia has sponsored for four seasons, and a Soul highlighting the brand's partnership with the Vans Warped Tour. All five Souls of SEMA tell their own unique story with music as their common language.

"Since the Kia Soul first arrived on the scene in 2009, it has established a very real and remarkable connection with music," said Michael Sprague, executive vice president, marketing and communications, KMA. "After harnessing five major marketing campaigns with songs spanning from Black Sheep to LMFAO to this year's Lady Gaga spot, which debuted during MTV's Video Music Awards, music has become a core attribute of the Soul's persona. The SEMA show presented the perfect opportunity to bring that personality to life – with the volume turned up to 11."

Built by Galpin Auto Sports and LUX Motorwerks, three of the vehicles feature premium audio components intended for live performance, while the others showcase musical lifestyles and trends.

Amped Soul

Popular Mechanics has energized this Kia Soul with the power of larger-than-life JBL speakers. Integrated into the rear-hinged doors, the JBL Pro Live sound equipment transforms this Soul into a full size boom box on wheels. With LED ambient lighting and four 12-inch Infinity®1 power subwoofers, this Soul is ready to wow the crowds at any venue.

The Amped Soul features a modern and sleek design enhanced with blacked out windows and a custom paint job. It rolls on performance 22-inch Forgiato custom three-piece wheels with Hankook 245/30/22 tires. And to make room for the club-sized stereo, the passenger side B-pillar has been removed. All the world's a stage when riding in the Amped Soul; a portable platform invites musicians ready to plug in and perform for their fans.

Vans Warped Tour Soul
Embodying the youthful and fun spirit of the Vans Warped Tour, Popular Mechanics designed a Kia Soul ready to hit the road on a musical journey. This unique Soul features a full custom paint job – inspired by the colors of the Van's Warped Tour – with eye-catching air-brush artwork. The side windows have been replaced with custom-built fiberglass body panels housing eight Infinity 8-inch speakers to deliver a true concert experience. And to really put you in the middle of the performance, a 50-inch flat-panel monitor has been mounted atop the car with running footage from the tour itself.

The Vans Warped Tour is about music, friends and food. To that end, this Soul has been outfitted with a slide-out rear barbeque for the full music-inspired tailgating experience. And a specially designed hood ornament pays homage to the iconic shoe company that serves as the namesake of the Warped Tour. With 20-inch wheels outfitted with performance low-profile tires and vibrant LED ambient lighting, this Kia Soul is made to take music lovers on a rockin' ride they'll never forget.

DJ Booth Soul
RIDES magazine totally transformed this all-new 2014 Kia Soul into the ultimate DJ booth on wheels. The roof was removed to give the DJ the ability to rise up and stand on a custom diamond-plated stage-which replaced the rear seats-and start spinning on the pro-grade Pioneer CDJs and mixer. Influenced by both EDM and hip-hop, this Soul is painted an eye-catching purple with turquoise accents. Outfitted with 19-inch Rotiform BRU wheels and Continental tires, the DJ Soul has been lowered with Ark Performance springs to give it an aggressive stance. With LED lighting, front and rear strobes, and a speaker enclosure built into the lower grille, it promises even the most seasoned club-goers a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

For the headlining DJ, black leather, graphite suede and turquoise stitching give the Soul's interior a vibe reminiscent of an ultra-lounge. With the Maschine Mikro production studio molded into the passenger dash, every control is available at any time. Blasting the beats is a Pioneer audio system that includes five amplifiers, three component speakers, two 10-inch and two 12-inch Champion Series subwoofers, and a sound bar housing four coaxial speakers, making sure the most important part of any DJ set-the music-is heard loud and clear.

Music Memorabilia Soul
This one-of-a-kind Kia Soul encompasses the passion, raw talent and diversity of music as an industry and an art form. Creating a music museum on wheels, RIDES magazine curated music memorabilia spanning rock, hip-hop and EDM history. The collection includes a signed Slash guitar, a G-Unit sneaker signed by 50 Cent, a Jimi Hendrix gold album and a signed John Legend microphone, which are displayed in hand-built Plexiglas enclosures in the trunk, rear windows and rear hatch insert.

As a nod to industry icons, this Soul was influenced by platinum and gold records: The Soul's exterior received PPG waterborne platinum silver, gold exhaust tips and anodized 20-inch gold HRE 935s. The interior received gold diamond stitching and painted trim that highlights the custom black suede and leather interior. Ark Performance springs and Nitto Invo tires make sure the Soul gives an award-winning performance at every appearance.

The Voice Soul
The name of this Kia says it all: Soul. With NBC's The Voice inspiring so many talented people to sing their hearts out and bare their souls through music, this car represents the sheer talent needed to perform in front of a live audience and millions at home. RIDES magazine customized the exterior with a bright red airbrushed The Voice logo on the side, incorporating vinyl on the window portion, as well as the inspiring words "I Want You" illuminated in the lower grille, along with the LED puddle projectors. In order to perform under pressure, 20-inch three-piece Niche Scope wheels color-matched to the vehicle, coupled with Falken tires, add style and confidence.

The four replicated coaches' chairs are the highlight of an interior that is decked out in red leather, black suede and red stitching. Control the "I Want You" logo with the red button on top of the dash. Using a unique platform such as The Voice to become a star requires practice; luckily, an iPad®2 Mini connected to a 40-inch LED TV allows you to use the preloaded The Voice app and sing at the top of your lungs through the wireless microphone, amplified through Rockford Fosgate speakers in their fiberglass custom pods.

About the 2014 Soul
Instantly recognizable yet thoroughly fresh – with more than a passing nod to the hot Track'ster concept that was unveiled last year – the all-new 2014 Soul rides on a new chassis that is stiffer, longer and wider. The Soul's new dimensions allow for more passenger and cargo room while NVH levels have been reduced dramatically. Increased torque and significant suspension upgrades make the 2014 Soul a nimble and agile companion in congested urban environments, and inside there is a long list of standard comfort and convenience features, including Bluetooth®3 wireless technology and steering wheel-mounted controls.

Kia: One of the World's Fastest Moving Global Automotive Brands
Kia Motors America is one of only three auto brands to increase U.S. sales in each of the past four years, and in 2012 the company surpassed the 500,000 unit mark for the first time. With a full line of fun-to-drive cars and CUVs, Kia is advancing value to new levels of sophistication by combining European-influenced styling – under the guidance of chief design officer Peter Schreyer – with cutting-edge technologies, premium amenities, affordable pricing and one of the lowest costs of ownership in the industry. Kia recently moved up in the exclusive ranking of Interbrand's "Top 100 Best Global Brands" after joining the list for the first time last year, and is poised to continue its momentum with seven all-new or significantly redesigned vehicles scheduled to arrive in showrooms in 2013. Over the past decade Kia Motors has invested more than $1.4 billion in the U.S., including the company's first U.S. assembly plant in West Point, Georgia – Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia – which is responsible for the creation of more than 14,000 plant and supplier jobs. The success of the U.S.-built* Optima and Sorento in two of the industry's largest segments has fueled Kia's rapid growth and is complemented by Kia's comprehensive lineup which includes the Cadenza flagship sedan, Soul urban passenger vehicle, Sportage compact CUV, Optima Hybrid, the Forte sedan, Forte5, and Forte Koup compacts, Rio and Rio 5-door sub-compacts and the Sedona minivan.

About Kia Motors America
Kia Motors America is the marketing and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, South Korea. KMA offers a complete line of vehicles through more than 765 dealers throughout the United States and serves as the "Official Automotive Partner" of the NBA. In 2012, KMA recorded its best-ever annual sales total and gained U.S. market share for the 18th consecutive year. Kia is poised to continue its momentum and will continue to build the brand through design innovation, quality, value, advanced safety features and new technologies.

By Brandon Turkus