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When the KIA Soul’ster Concept premiered at the 2009 North American International Auto Show, it turned heads. Even though the 2dr open-top SUV design was well-received by the media and public, rumours surfaced of a production model, planned for the near future. Apparently, Kia has now cancelled its plans to build the Soul'ster for production.

In order for Kia approve the Soul’ster, Orth Hedrick, director of product planning, said “You have to have broader appeal” to justify the development time and money it would take to bring the model to market. He added that a production Soul'ster would be an “almost all-new vehicle,” due to structural and weight differences from the regular Soul.

“The business case is really what we have to keep studying all the time,” said Hedrick, noting developing and selling Soul variants would be a challenge, “especially in this environment.”

Hedrick also confirmed that the Soul will undergo revised front and rear fascias, as well as receive more upmarket features for the mid-cycle change in 2012.