Kia Trail’ster teased: rugged e-AWD concept with Soul

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Kia’s latest Chicago-bound e-AWD concept was teased earlier this week – now, a second image has been released, along with a proper name: the Kia Trail’ster, following the naming convention set by the Soul’ster and Track’ster concepts.

From the looks of it, the company has toughened up the Soul quite a bit, with chunky black plastic body cladding, skid plates, large front and rear fog lights and funky red-and-silver wheels shod with fairly high-profile tyres. While not visible in these pictures, the concept is also said to have a fully-retractable canvas roof, à la Fiat 500C and Citroën DS3 Cabrio.

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Kia says the Trail’ster has a turbocharged engine – likely a version of the Track’ster’s 250 hp 2.0 litre turbo mill – with an electric motor at the back driving the rear wheels. For reference, the Soul EV features a 108 hp/285 Nm electric motor motivating the front wheels.

A rest-of-the-world Korean rival (unlike the China-only KX3) to the Honda HR-V, Mazda CX-3, Ford EcoSport and Peugeot 2008? We’ll have more information on the Kia Trail’ster when it’s unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show on February 9.

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Jonathan Lee

After trying to pursue a career in product design, Jonathan Lee decided to make the sideways jump into the world of car journalism instead. He therefore appreciates the aesthetic appeal of a car, but for him, the driving experience is still second to none.

 

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