Summit Place Kia Blog

Kia’s popular urban crossover vehicle vies for prestigious World Car Awards that will be announced at this years New York International Auto Show in April

The view from the Summit

At Summit Place Kia in metro Detroit we were pleased to learn that the new Kia Soul is in the running for two of the most prestigious awards to be given out at this year’s New York Auto Show.

The WCOTY competition was established just seven years ago and marks the culmination of the big auto shows held in the U.S. The World Car Awards differ from the many other accolades bestowed upon manufacturers at the many and sundry shows held here in the U.S. in that unlike those given out at, say, the Detroit Auto Show, nominees WCOTY vehicles truly are “World Cars” due to the fact that they aren’t required to be marketed here in North America. As such, many of the vehicles that appear on the list of finalists may be, if you pardon the expression, “foreign” to many consumers here in the U.S.

2010 award nominees fall into four categories: 2010 World Car, 2010 World Performance Car, 2010 World Green Car and 2010 World Car Design of the Year.

In order to qualify for 2010 World Car, the overall award, the vehicle had to be in production as well as available for sale on at least two continents during 2009. It also must, according to the committee, “excel in a broad range of attributes.”

Taken from the broad list of World Car candidates, a panel of five judges that included Masatsugu Arimoto, Silvia Faruffaldi, Gernot Bracht, Sam Livingstone and Tom Matano recommended a short list to jurors who then voted on the finalists for 2010 World Car Design of the Year.

Here is the news release from Kia Motors:

(Seoul) – The popular Kia Soul urban crossover vehicle has been named by the World Car Awards as a finalist for its prestigious ‘World Car of the Year’ and ‘World Car Design of the Year’ awards. Winners will be announced at the 2010 World Car Awards press conference on Thursday, April 1 at the New York International Auto Show.

A jury of 59 distinguished international automotive journalists from 25 countries across the globe selected the top ten finalists for ‘World Car of the Year’ by secret ballot, based on their experience with each candidate as part of their professional work.
The jury members constitute a balance of representation from Asia, Europe, North America, South America, as well as other parts of the world.  All hold significant stature within their own regions and countries.

Meanwhile, Kia Soul was also selected as one of four finalists for the ‘2010 World Car Design of the Year’ award. Cars eligible for the award are taken from the list of 30 ‘World Car of the Year’ candidates nominated by the World Car jurors. The World Car Design of the Year category, and the corresponding award, is meant to highlight new vehicles with innovation and style that push established boundaries.

“Kia is honored to be recognized by the esteemed World Car jurors for our SoulKia Soul has dramatically transformed perceptions of the Kia brand in many markets around the world. It appeals especially to the young, and the young-at-heart, and is a car that challenges consumers to rethink everything they know about Kia vehicles,” said Soon-Nam Lee, Director of Overseas Marketing, Kia Motors Corporation. crossover urban vehicle. Since its introduction in early 2009, the

Along the way, the Soul has picked up more than 30 awards and accolades from influential motoring organizations and media outlets around the world, including the ‘red dot’ Design Award (honorable mention), ‘Grooviest Interior’ on the Ward’s AutoWorld ‘Interior of the Year’ list, ‘Top Recommended’ vehicle for 2010 by Edmunds.com and Most Exciting Cars of 2010 by TIME.com. With Soul, Kia is demonstrating that its products have ‘stand-out’ design qualities and an emotional appeal to consumers in addition to offering consumers class-leading safety features, value and options.

On the safety front, Kia Soul was recognized by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the U.S. and given a 2010 ‘Top Safety Pick’ award in the Small Car category. Soul was also awarded a 5-Star safety rating (the maximum score) in the latest Euro NCAP crash test results. Soul’s Euro NCAP safety ratings – with scores of 87% for Adult Occupant Protection, 86% for Child Protection and 86% for Safety Assist equipment – place the Kia among the safest B-Segment sized family cars in Europe.

Check out the award-winning Soul at Summit Place Kia!

To view the new Ignition version, or to create your own unique Kia Soul, all you need to do is come in to either one of our showrooms. To schedule an appointment, or for more information on the rest of the entire line-up of high quality, affordable Kias, you can contact us at our Waterford store by calling 248-682-6002 or by dialing 734-397-9900 for our Canton store. You can also check us out on the web at www.summitplacekia.com. If you just want to stop in for a visit, our two dealerships located at 2200 Elizabeth Lake Road in Waterford, just behind the Summit Place mall and in Canton at 41840 Michigan Avenue, just west of I-275. Once you’re there, you’ll see why everyone at metro Detroit’s sales leader, and Proud Automotive Sponsor of Michigan Athletics, would “Love to see ‘ya” in a Summit Place Kia!

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