The history of the Kia Soul is incredibly interesting, largely for the fact that the car does not exist yet. Well, at least it has no history, yet. It's a brand new vehicle from Kia just hitting the streets in America in April of 2009, as this article is written.

The Kia Soul is a subcompact station wagon and not something a big, pickup loving guy would normally think twice about. But, it has a really sporty look with Cheshire cat grinning grille and is truly a sharp looking vehicle.

It has semi bucket seats in the front and a bench seat in the back that can be folded flat or moved for extra room. To be honest, if you're hauling anything you'll probably want to adjust the seats accordingly, and if the car is comfortable for four, it will be a surprise for all. But for a young family or a college student on limited means, it might just turn out to be a great car.

The Kia Soul was designed in California, but will be built in South Korea. And in spite of its small size, it's not bland. It comes standard with a CD player, a USB port and satellite radio.

Part of the concept of the car is a sort of "do it yourself" mentality. The Kia Soul has lots of available upgrades, sold separately instead of just in packages, which allows the buyer to customize their own vehicle, getting the things most important to them without going over their budget.

The Soul offers two engine options, both I4 and gasoline powered. On the lower trims you get a 1.6 liter, 122 horsepower engine with a five-speed manual transmission with overdrive. Upper trims give you a 2.0 liter, 142 horsepower engine and your choice of the same manual transmission or a four-speed automatic transmission with overdrive.

More is to come. The Kia Soul has already shown a hybrid version, called the Eco-Soul, at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. It will be a combination gasoline/electric drive system. A 1.6 liter, I4 diesel engine is also said to be on the way. Horsepower figures are not available yet for either of these engines. Of course, mileage and crash test figures are not yet available, either.

Other concepts are still being developed from the Soul, including a convertible and a pickup. Only time will tell if they come to fruition. The Kia Soul starting price is just $13,995. It will initially be offered in seven trims, including base and Sport, three of which come in either M/T or A/T versions.