This week Kia released their 2010 Scion xD clone Soul officially photos for the United States version of their concept vehicle. Kia Soul will have a 1.6 liter engine capable of producing 126 horse power. It will be available in both 5-speed manual and 4-speed automatic, and promises to be one of the more successful Kia vehicles, and claims to be a compact “lifestyle” vehicles. According to Kia-world.net: Kia intends to produce about 136,000 units per year of the Soul at their Gwangju manufacturing plant in South Korea. 50,000 of those are slated for the U.S. market.

Sharp, eh? I much prefer the look of the Kia Soul to the Scion’s that it’s likely to compete against.

The Soul debuted ahead of the Paris Motor Show, and should be available in the U.S. a year from now.

According to Kia: The production Kia Soul will be available with a choice of three engines: two gasoline powerplants along with a diesel option. The latter option will be a 1.6-liter turbodiesel power unit with VGT (variable geometry turbocharger), power output will stand at 126hp and 255Nm of torque. The gasoline engines start with a 1.6-liter option which generates 126hp and 156Nm of torque, as well as a 2.0-liter unit that boasts 142hp although this last option will only be available in the US and some non-European markets.