Kia’s dancing all the way to Las Vegas and the 2013 SEMA Show with five concept versions of its 2014 Soul compact. The music-themed builds include the DJ Booth Soul, Amped Soul, Music Memorabilia Soul, a Soul inspired by NBC’s show The Voice and a Soul highlighting the brand’s partnership with the Vans Warped Tour.
Three of the vehicles have been built by Galpin Auto Sports and LUX Motorwerks and feature premium audio components intended for live performance, while the others showcase musical lifestyles and trends. In detail:
Amped Soul
This Kia Soul has been fitted by Popular Mechanics with enormous JBL speakers. The car features JBL Pro Live sound equipment integrated into the rear-hinged doors, LED ambient lighting and four 12-inch Infinity power subwoofers. Design-wise, the Amped Soul features blacked out windows and a custom paint job. It rides on huge 22-inch Forgiato custom three-piece wheels and it has no B-pillar on the passenger side in order to make room for the club-sized stereo.
Vans Warped Tour Soul
The second Soul designed by Popular Mechanics is a tribute to the Vans Warped Tour. Featuring a full custom paint job inspired by the colors of the Vans Warped Tour, the car has custom-built fiberglass body panels replacing the side windows that house eight Infinity 8-inch speakers. There’s also a 50-inch flat-panel monitor mounted atop the car with running footage from the tour itself. The Vans Warped Tour Soul also features a slide-out rear barbeque, a specially designed hood ornament, 20-inch wheels and LED ambient lighting.
DJ Booth Soul
As the name suggests, this Soul has been transformed into DJ booth on wheels by RIDES magazine. The car has no roof to give the DJ the ability to rise up and stand on a custom diamond-plated stage (which replaced the rear seats) and start spinning on the pro-grade Pioneer CDJs and mixer. It is painted in purple with turquoise accents, and comes with a lowered suspension while riding on 19-inch Rotiform BRU wheels. The Pioneer audio system includes five amplifiers, three component speakers, two 10-inch and two 12-inch Champion Series subwoofers, and a sound bar housing four coaxial speakers.
Music Memorabilia Soul
This unique Kia Soul is essentially a music museum on wheels created by RIDES magazine. It includes music memorabilia spanning rock, hip-hop and EDM history. Exhibits include a signed guitar from Slash, a G-Unit sneaker signed by 50 Cent, a Jimi Hendrix gold album and a signed John Legend microphone, all displayed in hand-built Plexiglas enclosures in the trunk, rear windows and rear hatch insert.
The Voice Soul
This particular concept is dedicated to NBC’s The Voice show and has been customized by RIDES magazine. It features a bright red airbrushed The Voice logo on the side, incorporating vinyl on the window portion, as well as the inspiring words “I Want You” illuminated in the lower grille, along with the LED puddle projectors. The 20-inch three-piece Niche Scope wheels match the vehicle’s color, while the four replicated coaches’ chairs are the highlight of the interior that features red leather, black suede and red stitching. It even comes with an iPad Mini connected to a 40-inch LED TV that allows aspiring singers to use the preloaded The Voice app and sing through the wireless microphone, amplified through Rockford Fosgate speakers in their fiberglass custom pods.
Alongside the Soul custom concepts, Kia is also displaying the refreshed 2014 Optima, plus the 2014 Forte Koup and 2014 Forte hatchback fitted with the 201hp four-cylinder turbocharged engine.
By Dan Mihalascu
PHOTO GALLERY
