[THE INVESTOR] Kia Motors on Jan. 23 launched the all-new Soul box car in Korea, with its electric version due out next month.

The Soul Booster comes with a 1.6-liter gasoline turbocharged engine and a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. It has 204 horsepower on tap and 27 kilogram-force meters of torque, the carmaker said in a statement. 

It is also equipped with a host of safety features, such as blind spot collision warning, forward collision-avoidance assist, driver attention warning and rear cross traffic-collision avoidance assist systems. A heads-up display is also available, it said.

The third-generation Soul is priced at 19 million won (US$17,000) to 23 million won. The first-generation Soul was launched in 2008, with the second iteration introduced in 2013.

Kia aims to sell 20,000 Soul Boosters in the domestic market this year. In the past seven days through Tuesday, the company said it received some 4,000 preorders.

Thanks to its shape, the car is instantly recognizable on the street, as well as being practical to drive. It is one of Kia‘s best-selling models in markets like the United States.

Its electrified model with a high-capacity 64 kWh lithium-polymer battery pack can travel up to 386 kilometers on a single charge, it said.

By Song Seung-hyun and newswires (ssh@heraldcorp.com)