2015 KIA SOUL EV NAMED “BEST VALUE IN AMERICA” AWARD WINNER BY VINCENTRIC
Battery-Powered Version of Iconic Urban Passenger Vehicle Honored in Electric/Plug-in Hybrid Category
- Soul EV recognized for its high value and low cost of ownership versus others in its segment
- Vincentric award underscores Kia’s ongoing commitment to offer outstanding value across entire model lineup
IRVINE, Calif., March 27, 2015 – The 2015 Kia Soul EV has been honored as a 2015 Vincentric “Best Value in America” award winner in the Electric/Plug-in Hybrid category. Vincentric is a leading source of cost-of-ownership data and analysis within the automotive industry.
“The Kia brand has always stood for value, and even as we’ve grown and matured, adding ever more refined and diverse models to our lineup, we’ve never strayed from that commitment to our customers,” said Orth Hedrick, vice president, product planning, Kia Motors America. “The Soul EV, our first all-electric zero-emissions vehicle for the U.S. market continues that commitment. It offers iconic design, the best range of any vehicle in its class and superbly practical packaging, all at an affordable price. Being honored as a ‘Best Value in America’ by Vincentric is validation of Kia’s winning formula.”
Vincentric measures cost of ownership using eight different cost factors: depreciation, fees & taxes, financing, fuel, insurance, maintenance, opportunity cost, and repairs. Utilizing this methodology, Vincentric identifies which vehicles have lower-than-expected ownership costs relative to other comparable offerings. The statistical process evaluates each vehicle across all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
“As a first time winner of the ‘Best Value in America’ awards, the Kia Soul EV rose above the competition with a total cost of ownership that was more than 9% below expected. Contributing to its performance were low operating costs, which were powered, in part, by a 5-year, 60,000-mile comprehensive warranty,” stated David Wurster, President of Vincentric.
About Vincentric
Vincentric provides data, knowledge, and insight to the automotive industry by identifying and applying the many aspects of automotive ownership costs. Vincentric data is used by organizations such as AOL, Cars.com, Chevrolet, Toyota, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Nissan, Business Fleet Magazine, and NADA Guides as a means of providing automotive insight to their clientele. Vincentric, LLC is a privately held automotive data compilation and analysis firm headquartered in Bingham Farms, Michigan.
About Kia Motors America
Kia Motors America (KMA) is the marketing and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, South Korea, and in 2014 was the #1 ranked mainstream brand according to Strategic Vision’s Total Quality Index. KMA proudly serves as the "Official Automotive Partner" of the NBA and LPGA and set an all-time annual sales record in 2014, surpassing the 500,000 unit mark for the third consecutive year. KMA offers a complete line of vehicles, including the rear-drive K900** flagship sedan, Cadenza premium sedan, Sorento CUV, Soul urban passenger vehicle, Soul Electric Vehicle***, Sportage compact CUV, Optima midsize sedan, Optima Hybrid, the Forte compact sedan, Forte5 and Forte Koup, Rio and Rio 5-door subcompacts and the Sedona minivan, through a network of more than 765 dealers across the United States. Kia’s U.S. manufacturing plant in West Point, Georgia, builds the Optima* and Sorento* and is responsible for the creation of more than 14,000 plant and supplier jobs.
Information about KMA and its full vehicle line-up is available at www.kia.com. For media information, including photography, visit www.kiamedia.com. To receive custom email notifications for press releases the moment they are published, subscribe at www.kiamedia.com/us/en/newsalert.
* The Sorento and Optima GDI (EX, SX & Limited and certain LX Trims only) are assembled in the United States from U.S. and globally sourced parts.
** 2015 K900 V8 available in select trims and in select markets with limited availability.
*** 2015 Soul EV in select markets with limited availability.