Detroit 2009: Kia Soul'ster guns for fun and frolic

Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Convertibles, Kia

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Kia Soul'ster

The Kia Soul has people talking. Specifically, you. Kia's media presentation here in Detroit highlighted feedback from the Autoblog commentariat. No, we didn't know in advance, but you won't hear us complaining either. However, the star of the show for Kia wasn't the Soul -- it's a new concept derived from the boxy people-mover.

After some dancing fanfare involving large placards, the Kia Soul'ster drove onstage. Put simply, it's cool. The two-door design study looks like a pickup from the side, but the "cab" is open-air, much like the old Isuzu Amigo. Pretty much everything on the car is manual: the gearbox, the window cranks, and the two-piece canvas roof. Other details set it apart from its wagonoid brother, such as a slightly chopped roofline and dual exhausts with carbon fiber sleeves. The roof lamps integrated into the roll bars are a nice touch, too. Cantilevered seats mounted off the center console free up storage room beneath them, and there's a small cargo space aft of the second row. The Soul'ster's meant to be an economical four-cylinder, tarmac-only, front-wheel-drive plaything whose primary mission is fun. It sure looks the part, so now the ball's in Kia's court. Do they have the stones to actually follow through and build something like this? Tell them what you think below. One thng's certain: they'll be reading.

Gallery: Detroit 2008: Kia Soul'ster Live

Gallery: Kia Soul'ster Concept

Detroit 2009: Kia Soul'ster guns for fun and frolic originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 11 Jan 2009 15:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cadillac bringing E-Flex coupe concept to Detroit

Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Coupes, Hybrids/Alternative, Green, Cadillac, GM

We've heard scads of rumors over the past year that General Motors plans to bring a Volt-based Cadillac to market, and it looks like we'll be seeing a concept of the new E-Flex Caddy at the Detroit Auto Show.

According to a report by BusinessWeek, the two-door coupe concept will use the same range-extending EV drivetrain as the Chevrolet Volt, although there's no word on whether the Caddy concept will send power to the front or rear wheels. BW sources say that the vehicle is smaller than the CTS and will feature a bolder exterior design than the CTS coupe. We'll be on hand in Detroit beginning this Sunday to see the Caddivolt concept in person, if it decides to show up.

[Source: BusinessWeek]

Cadillac bringing E-Flex coupe concept to Detroit originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Jan 2009 13:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Event Alert: January Calendar of Automotive Events

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Motorsports, Time Warp, Auction Action, Misc. Auto Shows, Event Alert

This year's Detroit Auto Show (NAIAS) should be even bigger than last year despite dropouts

Thanks to your suggestions, last month we added a Google Calendar after the jump so you can bookmark it and constantly receive updates as we add them. We appreciate all of your input and hope you find our calendar a useful tool. We also appreciate your comments listing events we might have overlooked or that are just near-and-dear to your hearts.

Highlights for January include the North American International Auto Show, which we will be covering extensively from Detroit; the Arizona collectible car auctions featuring Barrett-Jackson, RM Auctions, Russo and Steele and others; the La Jolla Motorcar Classic at The Cove; the Cavallino Classic from The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida; and the kickoff of the 2009 motorsports season with the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

As always, we want to give a shoutout to our two favorite sources; The New York Times automotive calendar for national and international stuff, and for local stuff here in Southern California, our buddy Dave Lindsay's SoCalCarCulture pages. Dave's photographic coverage of these local events is fantastic. So check out the January event calendar we put together for you after the jump and start adding to it. Happy New Year, everyone!

Continue reading Event Alert: January Calendar of Automotive Events

Event Alert: January Calendar of Automotive Events originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 21 Dec 2008 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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