What The Hell, Kia: Quick Jump
This is old news, but it’s goodbye to an era that saw a surge in popularity in Korean cars thanks to forward styling, hiphop commercials, and hamsters that became stars.
Kudos to the Kia Soul that started it all. And now we know it will be gone when production ends by Halloween. A reason wasn’t explicitly given but the company acknowledged declining sales. Still, 1.5 million over the span of two decades ain’t nothing.
Even more confusing, it outsold the K5 sedan in 2024, with 54,000 units moved versus 46,000. And the K5 got a refreshed design this year. So what’s going on, Kia?
Don’t got no Soul anymore?
Anyway, it’s not the most popular Kia these days. But it was the reason to get us excited about getting in one for the first time. These days, both it and Hyundai are well established in the market, often considered a viable option to buyers for several years now.
Fortunately, without the Soul, the lineup is no less interesting. Kia is gearing up to launch the K4 Hatchback. I’ve seen a couple of them go through testing without camouflage here in Arizona and they look rather snazzy.
Between this and the new Nissan Sentra, they give cheap a good name. These days however, it’s harder to make a bad car. The Soul garnered appeal on behalf of branding by way of advertising. You’re not going to see Ham-Stars again because Hollywood decided that’s too expensive to make and A.I. can do it for pennies. As a society, we’re a less creative bunch than we used to be.
If you want one of the remaining beatboxes, Kia says only a few thousand Souls are available in dealers for reaping. So let’s end this brief note on something positive: The commercial that started it all.
This is just one of many Kia made involving oversized hamsters with trendy footwear. And thankfully, it seems all of them have made it onto YouTube. So go enjoy it because everyday is Friday.
-TA