Growing up, I didn’t even know the Kia brand existed. I only learned about it through a series of now-iconic commercials involving anthropomorphised hamsters driving a car that looked sort of like a hatchback, and sort of like an SUV. That car was, of course, the Kia Soul.
The Soul is inarguably one of Kia’s most important vehicles. Introduced in 2009 for the 2010 model year, it became an immediate hit, appealing to people who wanted the space and shape of a crossover, but with the efficiency and price of a sedan or hatch. By 2015, it was the brand’s best-selling model worldwide, moving over 150,000 units that year in the United States alone.
A lot of the Soul’s success can be attributed to those hamster ads, which thrust the Kia name into the households of hundreds of millions of Americans. The first one, below, presented the car as a standout in a sea of sameness, showing the hamsters driving the Soul and rocking out as the “cool” hamsters, while every other hamster was stuck in place with the same plain hamster wheel. The ad also showed off the Soul’s neat features, like the iPod compatibility and the flashing speakers. It was cute, fun, and, most importantly, appealing to a wide audience.
Later hamster-themed ads got a whole lot weirder. There was this version, which showed hamsters arriving at the front lines of a Sci-Fi battlefield and dancing to LMFAO’s Party Rock Anthem to save the day:
And then this one, which showed hamsters preparing for a big day on the red carpet while Lady GaGa’s Applause played in the background:
And who could forget this one, which had the hamsters crashing an opera with a Soul before breaking out in yet another dance to PSY’s Gangnam Style:
The Soul was an incredibly important vehicle for Kia’s growth in the U.S. Don’t take it from me, take it from the guy who runs sales for the brand:
“The Soul was one of the cornerstones in Kia gaining a foothold in the United States and this one-of-a-kind vehicle – and the marketing supporting it – helped Kia move to where it resides today,” said Eric Watson, Vice President, Sales, Kia America. “Kia is steadily progressing towards its third consecutive annual sales record and all-time high market share, and that is possible thanks to the early success carved out by the Soul.
The funky crossover-hatch, along with cars like the Forte and the Optima, revitalised what was, at the time, an aging and weak lineup. In 2009, Kia was selling 327,000 cars a year in the United States. Last year, it knocked on the door of 800,000 units.
Despite the average American buyer’s ever-evolving taste for bigger and heavier cars, the Soul managed to hold its popularity for a staggeringly long time, selling over 100,000 units per year between 2012 and 2018. It was only during and after the COVID-19 pandemic that sales began to fall off. Last year, Kia sold just 52,297 units. Still, Kia sold over 1.5 million units over 16 years and three generations. I’d call that a resounding success.
And now, the Soul is dying. Kia announced on Monday plans to end production of the quirky hatch in October, with 2025 being the car’s final model year. If you want one, there are “just a few thousand units” still sitting at dealer lots, according to the carmaker.
While it’s sad to see the Soul go, this news isn’t entirely surprising. The Soul is built in Korea and imported into the U.S., which means it’s subject to tariff duties. Keeping its base price of $21,935 (including destination) likely would’ve been tough going forward. The current generation car has also been around since 2019, and last received an update in 2023. With sales dwindling, Kia likely decided it was better off ending production than investing money into a new version. The majority of the company’s sales now come from real-deal SUVs and crossovers, anyhow. With the Soul out the door, that leaves the $23,185 K4 sedan (shown below) as Kia’s new cheapest car.
Rest in peace, Kia Soul. You and your dancing hamsters will never be forgotten.
Top graphic images: Kia
Maybe sales wouldn’t have dropped as badly if they hadn’t saddled the current model with an in famously-unpopular and unwanted CVT, coupled with styling that resembled an Easter Island head moreso than a somewhat-charming small mammal like it’s predecessors.
The current styling is not for me but I think that’s always been the case for the Soul, you like it or you don’t. As for the transmission I suspect a lot of buyers don’t know or care that it’s a CVT – the same transmission was in the Forte about as long and that had seen sales rise at the same time Soul sales fell (and the most likely reason – supply between the two shifted away toward the Forte, now K4).
My wife would get these for rental cars from 2021 to 2023. She brought them home and I thought they were lame. Then I drove it around and was shocked
at the room inside. I am 6 foot 2 and I had plenty of room. I believe when she had was Turbo charged cause I remember it being quicker than I would’ve imagined and it looked kind of cool.
That’s the thing with this whole class of car. A lot of people are turned-off by the styling but “get it” and like them if they actually drive one for any length of time.
Agree, 100%. I would consider getting one for my daughter in a few years when she gets her license.
I’m in the suburbs of Milwaukee, so I better make sure it’s one of them that isn’t simple to steal!
As a Black Sheep fan, the Soul will always have a special place in my heart.
I have a 19 alien green model I bought brand new. It just hit 30k miles (I work from home) and don’t drive much) I will baby that little booger box and treat it kindly and hope it last forever. truly love that little wagon
As a kiwi green Element owner, the Souls are the only other cars representing that era of fun green car colors left on the road. All of Ford’s Lime Squeeze colored cars (or that lighter green) seem to have disappeared.
I have an Alien green Soul, One of the reasons for my purchase was the color and insane priced of used Elements’ I didn’t have a green Element but had a couple of orange ones. Those elements loved them some replacement windshields! Truth be known, If they offered a brand new Element like the ones I had before, I’d be in debt real quick like.
I agree with you on those windshields. In the span of a month after buying mine it got two dime sized rock chips! Those orange color they came in were stellar as well!
The bit of Soul advertising I remember the most was the one where they added the lady hamster in the skin-tight race suit and long hair to promote the Soul EV… for reasons.
It was a reference to Weird Science I believe, great 80s movie.
That makes a lot of sense looking back at the ad, thanks!
It’s just sad that Kia is turning into just another Soul-less manufacturer.
Oops, I see I’m the 487th person to make the joke. That’s what I get for being busy.
If it’s any consolation, yours is the one I saw first.
Yup. They just lost their Soul and a life long customer.
My dad always loved these, mainly for the hamsters, but also because it is one of the few vehicles that a 6’6” person fits in with a sunroof
These are like automotive cock roaches where I am, along with the Altimas.
Usually driven by someone who appears to be intoxicated, and stupid at the same point in time.
No loss here.
I hope “where you are” is not western FL. I do not drive intoxicated and like to think I’m not stupid. I just happen to like an inexpensive, practical little hatch.
No need to be offended. I like cheap stuff too.
Not in western Fla, but 30 miles from the state line, and the number of crap drivers in both Altimas and Souls with Fla tags boggles the mind to be frank about it.
Not to mention the people with tags that are from my state. I would not have commented if they did not give me reason to do so.
The number of “olds” and other fools driving these two models poorly far outweighs the number of “normal” people driving said models here.
Perhaps they just draw my attention because most drive like they have little respect or concept of how normal folks drive?
Then again, sometimes stupid and ignorant overlap bigly in God’s own Venn diagram?
Another Monday in America. Don’t be so easily offended by my own personal experiences ok?
I was not exactly offended, just saying I don’t think driving a Soul makes one stupid. Honestly, the car is too slow and tippy to drive in a very aggressive manner. It’s not a rewarding car in that way.
Now, regarding Altimas, and I would throw in BMWs, we are in complete agreement about foolish driving.
Where I live, they’re driven by poor/working young adults, and by senior citizens who opt out of the ubiquitous Camrys. Both groups seem to be more intelligent & saner the our local Altima drivers.
Good to know. I live in a more idiotic locale.
Many here own examples of both the Altima and Soul.
around me,Souls are driven and loved by old shits like me. no Altima energy. Just some old soul with a little hamster box putting 4-5k miles a year put on it. I’m shocked that your user name is allowed. did they get mad at your first attempt??? Was it lick puzzy or something like that? You have always struck me as somewhat of an asshole being. Your comments usually back my impression of someone with the user name of Col Lingus up. I guess the user name total asshole was already taken. How dare you celebrate the death of the Soul cunt amongst us!
So glad to hear your POV.
So I suppose that yo skipped your meds this morning?
Maybe find someone or something else to fixate upon?
Not that I actually give a shit though.
I actually get a kick out your comments. They always make me laff. And you nailed it, I did forget my meds that day. Your user name does crack me up. If I ever want to get around the pc police for custom tags at the DMV, you will be my official go to for suggestions Have a great day and keep your funny comments coming please..
This car had one great thing going for it: Older people who didn’t want an SUV/CUV but needed something upright to easily get in and out of at an affordable price. Same with the Scion XB.
Don’t insult the Borrego!
I rented a base-model Soul in Arizona a couple weeks ago and liked it. Good little car, really stood out on interior space.
It really was the replacement for the Scion xB in the market.
The Soul didn’t replace the xB; it destroyed it.
I rented a first-gen Soul in Canada shortly after they were released and was pretty impressed with the feature set and how solid it felt. They really turned the corner on quality.
Back then the Kia ad agency was absolutely KILLING IT. At about the same time as these Soul hamster ads they were also running ads for the Sorrento with sock monkeys – very memorable and positive imaging for the brand.
Somehow I dodged ever seeing a hamster ad, but I thought the Kia Soul was a nice-looking car for a decent price. I liked the bright alien green, and even some of the white with red and black accents looked pretty cool.
From experience, they drive and road trip well, and are roomy and comfortable for the price.
Among the Scion xB, Nissan Cube, and Kia Soul boxy cars, the Soul was my favorite.
Still more proof that Americans have no interest in cheap cars, no matter what sundry people here say. If they did, this car would have been a best seller, because at less than $21K it was a stunning deal. It’s not even that much of a penalty box. My sainted mother drove everything under $30Kish and it was the car she liked the best, by a lot, so that is what I bought her. And it’s “fine”. It’s spacious for a small car, quiet, comfortable, adequate power, has most of the modern active safety nonsense and a usable infotainment system. It’s literally all the car anyone really needs unless they have sufficient children to have their own basketball team.
And did I mention it was cheap? $20K base price plus $500 for the “Tech Pkg” that added the active safety stuff plus alloy wheels. In the three years since, the price has gone up $500, but still less than $21K for a very nicely equipped (not that) little box on wheels. The higher trims were really rather pointless, you paid a lot more to get very little more useful content.
I mean, total Prius sales in the U.S. are around 2.5 million, and that’s with a 5-year head start on the Soul. I’d assume we can blame the tariffs for this happening slightly earlier than it otherwise might have.
Either way, 1.5 million is nothing to shake a stick at.
Cumulative sales are irrelevant. Last year they barely moved 50K Souls, despite it being, IMHO, the BEST cheap new car you can buy. If people actually wanted cheap cars, they should still be moving 250K of them a year.
People don’t want cheap NEW cars in any meaningful numbers. Which is actually rather smart given what you can get used for the same price. You really need to have a very good reason to buy a cheap new car. In my case, not wanting my mother’s car dilemmas to be MY car dilemmas. Otherwise I would have bought her another nicer used car for the same or less.
Buyers just don’t care about the type of car as much as people here say. Commenters think the cheap car buyers are discerning about the type of vehicle and those buying the more expensive vehicles are haplessly forced into choosing it. Really it’s more often the reverse. It’s more likely the cheap buyer is walking on the lot saying “I need a car but can only spend xxx/mo on a payment.” That won’t mean the smallest car or the cheapest MSRP or even a new car, like you said. At a Kia dealer that could be a Soul or a Forte/K4, which have always been very close in MSRP. As Soul sales began to fall, Forte sales were rising. Not likely from a sedan resurgence, but just Kia shifting to more production of the Forte/K4 over time and more incentivization, which makes sense for them because that’s the better global seller.
Fortes are gone in the US too. K4s are rather more expensive than the Forte was. And of course the really cheap RIO is long gone. Any bets as to how long before the K4 is dead too (and how much of their sales is propped up by KIA financing anyone with a pulse)? I doubt many Soul buyers will buy a K4 – chalk and cheese, and being tall/small is a big part of the Soul’s appeal to the Geritol set. My mother had NO interest in small sedans of any kind. Hated every one we tried.
Not that I entirely disagree – but mostly it’s that the car buyer on a budget is likely to find the CPO 3yo nicer car more appealing in most cases. There is just not much demand for sub $20-25K new cars.
The K4 name taking over for Forte doesn’t really count as “gone.” On intro the 2019 Forte was $18,690 with automatic (what most would buy), the K4 is $21,990. That’s less of an increase than a Corolla or Civic had in the same timeframe.
Given the effort they just put in to the K4 introduction and the increase in sales they’ve seen in that space this year, and it’s the second best selling model line in the lineup, it has a bright future for a while I’d say. It’s more likely the K5 would disappear IMO, the ‘compact’ class is as big as past midsizers and few have bought a sedan as a ‘family’ car in a long time. That segment as a whole seems to be where most manufacturers are concentrating any remaining car efforts. Toyota will always protect the Camry, but you see it in Nissan having just the Sentra and VW just the Jetta in volume cars, Honda has clearly prioritized the Civic so that it’s the bigger seller over the Accord now.
The K4 is just one example, the Seltos is also there at a similar pricepoint. If anything they throttled back the Seltos to protect the Soul but just added a cheaper FWD base trim this year. When you get into incentives, the price likely washes out about the same. Which the Soul had for a long time too, so that’s not really any different between those lines. Plus fleet sales, notice how many in the comments said their first real-life exposure to the Soul was as a rental car.
I don’t disagree that there isn’t a lot of demand in the space, my point is that the type of vehicle is less of a concern (to a point) and most people looking for a cheap car just need An Car.
Budget doesn’t just mean price though – what the buyer finds appealing doesn’t always mesh with their circumstances, which may be dictated by a bank that is more likely to favor the terms on a new car loan. CPO is filling in that gap and there’s been a push by OEMs for more CPO participation for years.
I bought a 2012 in 2018 and I’ve been totally happy with it in the time I’ve owned it. Only non maintenance item has been replacing the rear brake lines that rusted out. First time it has happened to me but I also live in Southern Ontario and it isn’t an uncommon occurrence to a 12 year old car. I’ve kept up on fluid changed and general maintenance. I’ve fit a new in box dishwasher in it, bikes as my kids get larger etc. Useful little box that I’ve enjoyed owning and hope to own for many more years.
Not that it matters to Kia or anyone else, but I’m going to the JCCS (Japanese Classic Car Show) in Long Beach this weekend, and I emailed my car show pal to see if he has any time/interest in test driving a Soul on the way home with me.
Sadly, the only transmission available on any trim of Kia Soul is the IVT, which is their version of a CVT. I don’t know if it’s any better or worse than the CVTs I’ve experienced in recentish Nissans, Hondas, and Subarus, but of course I’d be happier if you could have your Soul with a traditional automatic or manual.
Sadly their implementation is no better nor worse than most others on average (more at the bottom). However they do seem to be more forthcoming with the 30k fluid change schedule for the transmission, which helps considerably with longevity. Negates the fuel cost savings, though.
Current CVT rankings by driveability and durability for latest models, not including eCVTs:
1: Nissan (took them a while but they seem to have it figured out)
2: Toyota/Lexus
3: Mitsubishi
4: Kia/Hyundai
5: Any that I missed
6: Honda/Acura
7: Subaru
Hrmmm… are you saying that current (2025 model year) Nissan CVTs are the best? I haven’t driven one lately, but if so, this comes as a big shock to me.
I did drive a brand new Subaru w/CVT and TBH, it felt very similar to a 6-7 year old Subie… that is to say, merely so-so.
As we’ve discussed before, e-CVTs are a different animal.
I’d say – admittedly with limited drive time as I generally encounter more vehicles in the 3+ year old range – that Nissan probably has the least-bad CVT (not eCVT) on the US market right now. But it also took them the longest to get there.
Do you think the fluid changes really negate the fuel savings altogether?
I just paid $150 to get the fluid changed in my 2012 Prius v. Although I don’t know if that’s severely more complicated with belt-driven CVTs or something?
eCVTs like the Prius generally need less frequent fluid changes than other types of transmissions because there are no clutches wearing and contaminating the fluid (much like manual transmission fluid, in fact). Most people recommend doing it anyway, but there are a lot of Prii running around with hundreds of thousands of miles on their original fluid, and you almost never hear of an eCVT wearing out because of it. The biggest killer of eCVTs is overheating the motor-generator units.
$150 is a little steep I would say, unless it got a lot harder in the Prius V for some reason. In the gen 2, it’s basically the same as an oil change. The only difference is the fill port requires a length of hose to reach, but it’s really not a big deal. Very DIY-able if you do your own oil changes.
Many shops won’t touch CVTs (not to mention the eCVT in your Prius also used in many other hybrids), so generally the owners have to take them to a transmission shop or factory dealership for even something as simple as a fluid change (especially if it’s a sealed system). So the cost of the service will likely start around $200 and go up from there. That’s a bitter pill to swallow every 30K miles (per current best practices, down from the 50-60K miles of a few years ago, which superceded the 100-120K interval before that due to high failure rates). Conventional automatic with synthetic fluid usually don’t need the fluid changed until 100-120K miles in similar vehicles.
That’s more impactful especially as most CVTs tend to be present in more economy-focused models (so owners generally don’t have the budget for a multi-hundred dollar expense that often). $200 also buys a fair bit of fuel that the CVT is allegedly saving, and over 100K miles that’s $600 more than a non-CVT would cost over a conventional geared automatic.
Kia, now just another soulless automaker, shame…
Sigh… here, take your upvote… {grumble}
They used to be the only automaker with a Soul…and know they’ve Soul’d out.
It hurts my Spirit.
OK, that smart ass comment was creative and clever. lovin it
It’s really a shame I’ve been telling people that are big soul fans since the news broke a few months ago. They are really great little cars for everyone the cvt tuning is done well the quality is there. The original was so well done with so many neat touches. It’s funny in South Korea it’s considered a ladies car by most. But really didn’t have that reputation in the US. The original hounds tooth interior and bold paint colors really suited it. I didn’t really care for the refresh all that much but it’s grown on me and I think there is some increased quality indicative of the kia brand but those originals are out there with 250k still kicking. I wouldn’t be surprised if the k3 replaced the soul. Especially with Hyundai lowering the price of the ionic 5. Still a shame to loose such a great little cheap and cheerful value in an market where practically none exist.
Now that you mention it, I recall being charmed by the houndstooth seats in the first gen Soul, though of course I worried about how it’d get dirty over time.
I was a bit concerned about it too. But they seem to hold up ok. I often check when I see one or at the auction. They tend to yellow a bit but overall not terrible.
Worth knowing… thanks! 🙂
Not that I’m planning to rush out and buy an old Soul of course. At least, I don’t think I am. 😉
I’ve thought about it a few times. Especially when I see one for $1k or less. I think I might look more seriously for a cheap soul ev
Yah, I’ve thought about it a few times. There was a first-gen green metallic manual Soul with something like a couple hundred thousand miles on it at a midwest dealership that was featured here or at the old site, and I was doing the math re: travel, etc… to see if I could rationalize the trip. I could not, but would still like one.
The last time I looked there was a huge mismatch between dealer and private and wholesale prices. I think they had been good cars for tax season for alot of dealers but they overpriced and maybe over paidthis year and were slow to correct. You can set alerts on autotempest they don’t always work great for Facebook because people punch in random things.
All true. 🙂
Again, I don’t need another car, let alone a new one, let alone something with a CVT. But I’m curious about the last Soul, since I haven’t driven one since the first gen years ago. I’m usually beat after walking around the Long Beach Japanese Classic Car Show for a few hours, but if I’ve got the oomph on the way home this Saturday, I’ll try to at least stop by a Kia dealer and sit in one, just to see.
My first of three Souls had those seats. Reminded me of my uncle’s Camaro I rode in as a kid. When KIA decided to kill the Soul, they made the decision to lose me as a future customer forever.
Man the Kia Borrego, that should be the subject of a Cold Start or something in the future. What a strange footnote in Kia’s history. By all accounts not a bad car, just really poor market timing.
EDIT: Ah shit I forgot Thomas did a “beige cars you’ve been sleeping on” on the Borrego. Time to put that in the glovebox so I don’t forget
And just like that Russian woman who sold her soul for $1,000 or so (and bought a Labubu doll collection), Kia sold off its Soul…
Another car that most people could afford fades away into the sunset.
I know. It’s literally thousands less than a new Sentra.
I had one as a rental car and I guess I’m not surprised – it felt desperately in need of a refresh. The interior felt cheap in a way I haven’t seen in years – my 2013 veloster felt nicer.
2025: The year Americans lost the right to free speech and the Kia Soul, which are obviously of 100% equal importance. 😉
Once had a security job patrolling a large 1,000 acre campus and our patrol vehicles were 1st gen Kia Soul’s with the facelift. Can’t remember model year.
Anyways, we abused those things. Left them running in all weather 24/7 and frequently took them offroading as part of the campus was undeveloped land. Also basically drove no faster than 35 mph their entire life.
I can say a stock Kia Soul does pretty well offroading and can take a beating. We put almost 200,000 miles on those suckers before they retired them. Most frequent issue was the radiator fans failing.
Now the Chevy Cruze’s they got to replace them….
Long live the Kia Soul.
Well, I guess you can’t go with that anymore