Kia Permanently Unplugs the Soul EV and Also Retires the Rio

The vehicle that spun to success on the wheels of dancing hamsters, and the one that outlived all other box-shaped vehicles, the Honda Element, Nissan Cube and Scion xB, the Kia Soul will no longer come in electric form with 2023 being the last model year.
There will be no 2024 Kia Soul EV, so if you want one, get moving as soon as possible.
I liked the Soul EV as it stood out shape-wise, drove well and had a decent range of up to 383 km. There was enough space and respectable driving dynamics for me.
Why did Kia go Soul-less? Thank the Niro, which just launched a new generation and has range of up to 407 for the EV version, and comes in hybrid and plug-in hybrid form.
Simply put, the Niro triplets outnumbered the single Soul EV.

It launched in 2014 with around 150 km of range, with that figure bumping up to around 175 in 2018, before leaping to nearly 400 in the second generation for 2020.

In 2020, the Soul EV won World Urban Car, which doesn’t seem all that long ago but in the automotive world, three years can feel like a lifetime.
Kia says the gasoline Soul will soldier on for now.
Between the EV6, upcoming EV9 and a variety of other hybrid offerings, the brand is still in good shape as the world moves toward electrification.

Also disappearing from dealerships in 2023 is their smallest offering, the Rio, making the Forte/Forte 5 the entry point price-wise. It marks the death of another sub-$20K car in Canada, with the Nissan Micra, Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, Ford Fiesta and Hyundai Accent all driving off into the sunset in recent years.
There’s still the Mitsubishi Mirage…
If you want a Rio, Kia Canada says they’ll continue being made until December 2023 before the key is pulled out of the ignition for good.
Canadian consumers want bigger vehicles, SUV’s, CUV’s, and crossovers; all things the Rio is/was not.

Freeing up resources and money by zapping the Soul EV and Rio enables them to eliminate dead weight and strengthen their position toward an all-electric future that’s around the corner.