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.
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.
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?