Kia Trail’ster FIRST LOOK Video from the 2015 Chicago Auto Show

The Kia Trail'ster Concept has made its debut at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show.
The Kia Trail’ster Concept has made its debut at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show.

The Kia Trail’ster E-AWD Concept has made its debut at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show (CAS2015).  The Trail’ster will feature an innovative all-wheel-drive system, with an electric motor powering the rear wheels for optimized traction and efficiency.  It will feature a combined 220 HP and 285 lb-ft of torque.

“The Trail’ster concept is a near-future look at how the production Kia Soul would logically evolve into an AWD-capable version that’s built to escape the city streets and roam into the mountain wilderness,” said Tom Kearns, chief designer, Kia Design Center of America (KDCA).  “It takes the go-anywhere capability of an SUV and reimagines it within a compact and sporty package with an expressive design to match.”

Watch the TFLcar Kia Trail’ster FIRST LOOK video from the 2015 Chicago Auto Show below:

Kia says the Trail’ster will use a turbocharged gasoline engine in tandem with an electric motor on the rear axle for AWD capability. The concept vehicle will also feature a fully-retractable canvas roof.  A longer-travel suspension, aluminum skid plates, and knobbier tires are also standard.

Trail'ster Concept

Essentially, this is a Kia Soul-based gasoline hybrid all-wheel-drive vehicle with additional ground clearance and a large roof opening. This sounds an awful lot like the 2015 Jeep Renegade Trailhawk, save for the hybrid part.

2015, kia, trailster, e-awd, awd, soul, jeep, chicago
Kia e-AWD Trail’ster Concept

We thought it was a little odd that Jeep chose to bring the front-wheel-drive only Kia Soul for comparison against the 2015 Jeep Renegade during its launch last month. Perhaps an AWD Kia Soul is indeed right around the corner?