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Music-inspired Kia Souls overload our senses

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.

Supply issues force Kia to delay new Soul EV until 2021 model year

The electric version of the new, third-generation Kia Soul won't join its gasoline-powered siblings in showrooms for the 2020 model year. Kia announced it was forced to delay the model. American motorists seeking an electric Soul will need to wait until the 2021 model year, Green Car Reports learned. Kia blamed the delay on a shortage of electric motors, and on battery-pack-related supply issues, and it warned the new timeline might change. Autoblog reached out to the company to find out whether the delay is linked to its decision to sell only the electric variant of the hatchback on the European market. We can confirm the model already arrived in showrooms in many European nations, and several dealers we spoke to in France told us they had a handful in their inventory. The Soul EV will be worth the wait when it finally disembarks in the United States. It can drive for up to 243 miles on a single charge, which is about twice the number its predecessor was capable of achieving. It shares its 64-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack with the Hyundai Kona Electric, and it offers a Soul Turbo-like 201-horsepower output. We called it a top choice among entry-level electrics after driving it for the first time in its home country of South Korea. The other reason why the Soul EV might be worth the wait is that Green Car Reports added Kia might choose to sell it in more states. The last-generation model axed after the 2019 model year was only available in 13 states, including Hawaii, New York, Georgia, and, of course, California.

Kia Niro sets arbitrary Guinness World Record for fuel mileage and nobody cares

For an individual, setting or breaking a Guinness World Record is something worth bragging about at the pub. For a company, it's a marketing tool. The Niro crossover is Kia's first dedicated hybrid, with a company-estimated 50 miles per gallon combined rating, which is enough to set it apart. A world record, though, sounds cool and official, even if they're a dime a dozen these days. Kia presumably paid Guinness its consultation and licensing fees, created a new record category, put hypermiler Wayne Gerdes and co-driver Robert Winger behind the wheel, and off they went to create a very specific piece of history. The record Kia set with the Niro is for the lowest fuel consumption driving across the USA from coast to coast in a hybrid car. The final score: an impressive 76.6 mpg. The stock 2017 Kia Niro traveled 3,715.4 miles from Los Angeles City Hall to New York City Hall on just over four tanks of gas for a total of 48.5 gallons. This isn't the first time Kia and Gerdes have made it into the book you used to love to flip through at your grade school book fair. In 2011, the pair set a Guinness record by driving through the lower 48 states in an Optima Hybrid getting 64.55 mpg. A Honda Insight now holds that record (74.34 mpg). As Guinness World Records become increasingly abundant, they might mean less to the general, non-record-holding public. They're still a source of pride for the record holders. "We're extremely pleased with the Niro's record-breaking performance," says Kia product planner Orth Hedrick. "We set out to build a vehicle that offers real-world utility, great looks, and fantastic mileage, and setting the Guinness World Record title confirms our achievement." Building a dedicated hybrid crossover from the ground up is hard work. 76.6 mpg is an achievement. A Guinness World Record? Anyone can do that. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Kia Niro Sets Guinness World Record Related Gallery 2017 Kia Niro: Chicago 2016 View 16 Photos News Source: Kia Green Kia Fuel Efficiency Hybrid hypermiling kia niro