Kia has bared its Soul...

Kia has bared its Soul at last! These are the first offical pictures of the new compact car, which will go into battle with Nissan"s Note and Honda"s Jazz later this year. As you can see, the production version gets the same chunky styling as the trio of Soul concepts thatò€™ll be at the British Motor Show next week.

Despite its 4x4 styling, the Soul will be front-wheel drive only.Those funky looks are designed to make Kia more attractive to younger buyers as the brandò€™s improving sales defy the slowing market. It will join the growing pack of small cars that invite owners to fully personalise their vehicle and make it as individual as possible, anotheridea previewed in the Soul Burner, Soul Diva and Soul Searcher concepts.

It should help the Soul in the fight against its many rivals - because as well as the Note and Jazz, the Soul has to lock horns with the recently refreshed Renault Modus and the upcoming new Vauxhall Meriva. Expect more details to be revealed by the carò€™s world debut at the Paris Motor Show in October, while sales should kick off here before the end of the year.