[UPDATE] Kia Soul EV Not Coming Back to U.S. Any Time Soon
Photo: Kia Motors Global
Many Kia fans were disappointed to learn that the Soul EV was not going to be produced for the 2020 model year. But they held on to the promise of a better version of the quirky electric vehicle for 2021, as advertised by Kia for quite some time. However, it turns out that the “Upcoming Vehicles” section of Kia’s website no longer features the 2021 Kia Soul EV.
Kia in the News: New Seltos SUV named one of the 10 Best Cars for College Grads
The electric version of the popular Soul made its debut in 2014 and boasted a 93-mile range. By 2020, the Soul EV — which is now exclusively sold in Europe — received a battery upgrade and its range had been extended to a more impressive 243 miles. Due to electric motor shortages and a limited battery supply in the U.S., Soul EV production had to be delayed until the 2021 model year.
Photo: Kia
It seems strange that Kia would silently and suddenly remove the Soul EV from its website when just a few months earlier, it announced its Plan S strategy to sell 500,000 EVs annually, totaling 1 million by the start of 2026. According to the press release about this new plan, a dedicated EV model was slated to launch in 2021. Whether that was intended to be the Soul EV or a whole new model has yet to be clarified by Kia. All we know from the announcement is that the upcoming EV will “blur the boundaries between passenger and sport utility vehicles” and offer a 310-mile single-charge driving range.
COVID Concerns: Here are some helpful tips for sanitizing your vehicle
While you may not be able to get an electrified version of the Soul for quite some time, Kia still offers green variants of two of its vehicles: the Niro (hybrid, PHEV, and EV) and the Optima (hybrid, PHEV). And with the all-new K5 replacing the Optima, there may be a hybrid model in the works.
Ben never thought he’d be writing about cars for a living, but here he is, knowing more about the Kia Stinger than he’d care to admit. When he’s not devoting his time to researching engine specs and other oh-so-exciting car details, he can be found enjoying time with his wife and dogs. See more articles by Ben.