It is confirmed that Kia will show the production version of its Soul 'urban crossover' at the Paris Motor Show this October. Moreover, it has announced that the new model will come to Europe next year. The Kia Soul is one of those cars that Autopartswarehouse is anticipating before the year ends.

By February next year, the new Kia Soul will be available with a choice of 124bhp diesel and petrol engines based on the DOHC engines already fitted to the European-built Cee'd. There would be manual or automatic transmissions available while the right-hand drive production is due to start in March.

The Soul is a five-door hatchback with front-wheel drive, a high roofline and an unusually long wheelbase. The design of this hatchback is based on its vertical measurements, wherein the overall height is 1,610mm but the base of the windscreen is 135mm higher than a typical compact car, the hip-points are 120mm higher and the ground clearance is raised by 45mm.

The all-aluminium petrol engine also produces 124bhp at 6,300rpm and 115lb-ft of torque at 4,200rpm. The diesel engine generates 124bhp at 4,000rpm and maximum torque of 188lb-ft at 2,000rpm.

Kia claims the cabin will deliver head, leg and shoulder room that matches or beats many larger vehicles and the company says headroom (1020/1005mm front/rear), legroom (1070/990mm front/rear) and shoulder room (1403/1400mm front/rear) will ensure Soul can easily adapt to the changing demands of owners.

Kia’s Gwangju facility in Korea will manufacture The Soul and a 2-litre, 139bhp petrol engine will also be available in the US and several non-European markets.