Kia Trail’ster Concept Could Head to Production

CHICAGO – The Kia Trail’ster concept unveiled here could be put into production, if it’s a hit with Chicago auto show visitors, a top executive says.

“If feedback is strong, we’ll be quick to market,” Michael Sprague, executive vice president-sales and marketing for Kia Motors America, tells WardsAuto. “There would be some cannibalization from the current Soul, especially in states with a lot of snow, but we would expect it to add to the overall sales volume.”

Sprague says the automaker sold 145,000 Souls last year, and as volumes increase, Kia is discovering customers are venturing out of the urban areas the original CUV was designed for and into more rural settings.

The AWD Trail’ster concept represents an opportunity to deliver on what the growing customer base wants and showing Kia is a brand that is constantly evolving, Sprague says.

Kia dealers also are clamoring for such a product, he says, noting the growing demand for AWD vehicles in the U.S.

“We’re seeing the proliferation of AWD vehicles,” Sprague says. “Not just in the Northeast, Midwest and Northwest, but into the south as well. So dealers are saying, ‘We offer AWD on Sportage and Sorento, is there an opportunity to offer it on Soul on as well?’”

Production versions of concept vehicles rarely include all the features and attributes of the original vision. The Trail’ster concept, which features high-end interior materials and a 185-hp 1.6L turbocharged 4-cyl. and 6-speed automatic transmission, paired to an electric AWD system on the vehicle’s rear axle, likely would price it far above the base Soul’s $15,190 starting price point.

Sprague doesn’t reveal what the production version of the Trail’ster would cost, but says if it is built it will adhere to Kia’s low-cost strategy.

“If we do come out with a vehicle like this, we will maintain its value positioning,” he says. “What we’re able to do because we’re a global company is spread the cost across the entire world, because Soul is a global vehicle. That helps us a lot to maintain that value positioning.”

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