Kia Soul rumoured to be cancelled from US markets
The Kia Soul has been taken off Kia websites and lists in the USA. It seems that the South Korean company will not be bringing the electric car to the USA as originally planned.
Kia presented the Soul in late 2018 and has since registered delays in coming to North American shores referring to both low battery and electric motor supplies, as well as high demand in Europe. Now the electric car has been taken off Kia websites altogether.
Back in February when delays were registered, Steve Kosowski, Kia’s US strategy manager said “We know there’s demand for the Soul EV. But if we’re only going to get 3,000 batteries allocated to North America for 2020, and we want to maximize our business, then we’d like to put all our chips on Niro EV.” Now Road Show reported the complete withdrawal of the electric car from the US-American market citing insider information that the car has now been cancelled on the US market for the same reasons it was delayed. Although Kia is having no trouble with availability for the European market, indications it will turn up in the US are disappearing.
If Kia does not bring the Soul to the States, the carmaker can focus on the Niro EV. Whereas the Kia Soul uses independent rear suspension, making the car more complex and expensive to bring the US, the Niro EV offers the same electric motor and battery pack as the Soul and is already known on the US market.
In the UK, Kia is now offering customers new, cheaper e-Niro options, so that customers can get a Kia electric car for less than £30,000 (around $39,2600 USD). In January this year, Kia announced 11 BEVs until 2025 but also defined clear e-sales targets for the individual regions. In the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study in the US, Kia was at the top of the list for all carmakers for the least number of initial faults on delivered vehicles.
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