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Kia Soul and hybrid concepts star in Paris - page 2

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Choice of 126 ps diesel and gasoline engines

Soul customers in Europe will be offered a choice of 126 ps diesel or 126 ps gasoline engine, based closely on the 1.6-litre units produced for the successful Kia cee'd model made in Slovakia. For the USA, Canada and some non-European general markets, the Kia Soul will also be available with a 2-litre, 142 ps gasoline engine.

Soul acceleration times (to 100 kph) range from 10.4 to 11.3 seconds and fuel consumption spreads over a 5.1 to 6.6 litres/100 km span, while CO2 figures vary between 137 and 159 g/km for European models.

Kia Soul cars supplied to the majority of countries in Western Europe and all of North America will be fitted with six airbags, four disc brakes and ESP (Electronic Stability Programme) as standard.

Every Kia Soul in Europe will be equipped with a factory-fit RDS radio/CD player with MP3 compatibility, plus six audio speakers, a 112-watt output, innovative PowerBass technology and a roof-top antenna. An Upgraded Sound System - complete with 'Sound Sensitive Mood Lighting', 315-watt output, a large dash-top centre speaker, external amplifier and a sub-woofer in the trunk for a total of eight speakers - can be specified.

To celebrate the arrival of Soul, Kia will be displaying seven examples of its latest model at a special 'Soul World' zone throughout the 18-day Paris Show.

Four new models star in Kia's 'Green Zone'

Kia is displaying four new models in its 'Green Zone' at Paris - the Kia cee'd ISG, Soul Hybrid, cee'd Hybrid and Sportage FCEV. Kia's new ISG (Idle Stop&Go) system, which makes its world premiere at Paris, will be available on Kia cee'd gasoline models from early 2009. The innovative ISG system cuts fuel consumption and emissions in heavy traffic by up to 15%.

Also making their world premieres at Paris are the Kia cee'd Hybrid and the Kia Soul Hybrid concept cars. Both cars feature a 1.6-litre gasoline engine, mated to a 15 kW, 105 Nm electric motor and automatic transmission. Fuel consumption is greatly reduced and CO2 emissions are cut to as low as 114 g/km for the cee'd Hybrid.

As part of Kia Motors Corporation's continuing fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) test programme, the zero-emissions Kia Sportage FCEV is undergoing constant evolution and now boasts a higher output 100kW (136 ps) fuel cell, lively performance and greatly extended 300 km driving range.