It’s easy to fall into wordplay about the disappearing soul of the automotive world, but the Kia Soul and Volvo V90 never represented any technological or consumer revolution, nor were they sports cars to admire.
Yet in a world where car industry assembly lines churn out some 80 million new cars each year, they stood apart from the mainstream, offering two different and successful answers to the classic question of how to build a family car. Successful, but by 2025, demand for them was no longer enough.
The First Styled Kia
Kia recently announced that by the end of October, it will produce the last Soul in South Korea, after 17 years. The Soul was first unveiled as a concept car, and enthusiastic reactions led to the decision to put it into production, with its launch in 2008.
The stylish minivan was initially offered in petrol and diesel models, and later also in an electric version.
The design made it a relative hit in the U.S., which received about 1.5 million of the units produced so far. Kia USA also marketed the model in a slightly different way, with an unusual series of commercials featuring rap-singing hamsters, including a special Super Bowl edition.
In Europe and here, the Soul was less successful. In Israel, it was sold between 2010 and 2018 in the private market and as a fleet vehicle. Currently, around 2,500 Soul models are registered with the licensing authority.
Another Volvo Wagon Disappears
Recently Volvo in Sweden produced the last V90, after nine years and 240,000 units. Station wagons are closely associated with Volvo, from the 121 and 144 in the 1950s and 1960s, through the 240 and 740, which were a status symbol in Israel in the 1970s and 1980s. The V90 was the company’s flagship wagon, the leisure version of the S90 sedan. It was offered as a regular road model and as a raised Cross Country version for trails (21 cm ground clearance), with petrol, diesel, and plug-in engines.
In Israel, it was launched in 2017 only in the Cross Country version, with a starting price of NIS 475,000, a 2-liter turbo petrol engine, 320 hp, and an 8-speed automatic transmission.
But customers voted with their wallets for crossovers: This year, the XC60 crossover surpassed the 240 as Volvo’s best-selling model ever, and the XC90 also outsold the S90. Therefore, Volvo launched a new 7-seat electric crossover, the EX90, but has no plans for an electric wagon. Production of the smaller, less expensive V60 will continue for now. Even in Israel, where the model was offered only by special order, only dozens were sold. Currently, only 44 units of the model are driving on Israeli roads.