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Kia Soul EV starts production next month amidst modest sales projections

The hamsters in those Kia Soul commercials? Looks like they'll be riding real quiet and quite clean a little sooner than we thought. Kia is now saying it will start production of the 2015 Soul EV next month, and sales will start later this year in the company's home country of South Korea. Additionally, according to Reuters, Kia is keeping sales expectations low, suggesting it should sell about 5,000 Soul EVs a year at a price of around $39,000, though the out-of-pocket costs should be cut in half because of South Korean government subsidies. Kia's taking a somewhat conservative approach to its early sales target as it focuses largely on the US and Europe during its first phase, said Kia spokesman Michael Choo. "We are currently conducting launch feasibility studies for the secondary phase of Soul EV introduction and plan to expand sales to other countries at a later stage," he said. "Hence, we believe the sales volume of the Soul EV will steadily grow following our initial full year of sales." As for the US, Kia spokesman James Hope tells AutoblogGreen that while the company hasn't set a definitive debut date, "we are targeting Q3 of this year." Hope says Kia isn't providing Soul EV sales guidance for the US, so we'll just have to see where the EV chips fall come September or so. Reuters also notes that sister company Hyundai will start selling its own battery-electric vehicle in 2016, a timetable confirmed by Hyundai Senior Vice President Lee Ki-sang. Both Kia and Hyundai are shooting for a South Korean electric-vehicle market that they hope will expand exponentially from a total of just 713 sales last year. The front-wheel-drive Soul EV will have a 81-kilowatt electric motor, and its single-charge range will be about 120 miles. The model was first shown off at the Chicago Auto Show last month, but Autoblog scored an early prototype test drive ahead of the reveal – check out our feature drive report here. Kia Motors shows Soul EV and next-generation hybrid powertrain at Geneva Show (SEOUL) March 4, 2014 -- The new Kia Soul EV made its European debut at the 84th Salon International de l'Automobile in Geneva, Switzerland, today alongside a special technology exhibit of the brand's next-generation hybrid powertrain.

Kia Venga puts a fresh face on mini minivans

Minivans in America have grown to become anything but mini. That's not the case overseas, however, where Ford offers the B-Max, Citroen the C3 Picasso and Kia the Venga. On the European market now since 2009, the Venga shares its underpinnings with the Soul and with the Hyundai i20. The shape which Peter Schreyer sketched for it won a prestigious iF Design Award upon its debut, but five years later, it was time for a bit of a refresh. Debuting alongside the updated Rio at the Paris Motor Show, the new Venga has received some updated sheetmetal, an upgraded cabin and enhanced equipment – all the better for transporting a (small) family around some European metropolis, where the streets are narrow and the parking even tighter.

Driverless cars from Kia hit the road in Nevada

Drivers in Nevada might soon spot a Kia Soul EV that pilots itself because the South Korean brand is the latest automaker to get authorization from the state to test autonomous vehicles on public roads. Kia's development of driverless tech is part of the company's $2 billion investment with Hyundai through 2018 to help bring some of these systems to production models. Rather than handing complete control to the computers immediately, Kia first plans to introduce partially driverless features on models by 2020. Its engineers intend to test technology like Traffic Jam Assist, Highway Autonomous Driving, Urban Autonomous Driving, an Emergency Stop System, and Autonomous Valet Parking on Nevada's roads. Kia doesn't foresee a fully piloted model on sale until 2030 and believes innovations in vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications are necessary to make that possible. Nevada has been a vital site for autonomous technology development since the state passed a law to allow testing on public roads. Google was among the earliest to get a permit, and Audi also quickly jumped on board. Freightliner was first to expand the authorization to commercial vehicles with its license for the Inspiration semi truck earlier this year. We're sure more will follow in short order. Related Video: Kia Motors granted Nevada autonomous driving license - US state of Nevada grants Korean manufacturer permission to test autonomous driving technologies on public roads - Soul EV's Advanced Driver Assistance Systems tested in Beatty, Nevada - US$2 billion investment by 2018 to develop autonomous vehicle technology - Kia to introduce partially-autonomous driving technologies by 2020, with arrival of fully-autonomous vehicles targeted for 2030 (SEOUL) December 14, 2015 – Kia Motors has been granted a licence by the US state of Nevada to carry out testing of its autonomous driving technologies on public roads for the first time. Kia – together with sister company Hyundai – hopes to experiment with partially- and fully- autonomous driving technologies in real-world conditions, an important part of its roadmap for autonomous driving. Kia plans to introduce a range of partially-autonomous driving technologies to its model line- up including eco-friendly vehicles by 2020, and is aiming to bring its first fully-autonomous car to market by 2030.