Kia refreshes its Soul

Kia has revealed a facelifted version of its off-beat Soul city-car in Korea, but its Australian future remains unclear.

In its domestic market, the box-shaped hatchback's mild cosmetic upgrade brings slightly revised front-end and interior styling, including a new front bumper with SUV-style 'skid plate', massaged LED headlights, fresh foglights and new alloy wheels.

Inside, there's a flat-bottom steering wheel and more options including a 'Style Up' pack, but it's unknown whether there are any changes to the Soul's 113kW/191Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine or six-speed automatic transmission.

Kia Australia has previously revealed that both the Soul and its similarly slow-selling Rondo people-mover, a five-seat version of which is imminent, will be "repositioned and reinvigorated" locally by the end of this year.

The move is designed to better position both models as SUV alternatives before Kia Australia launches new Picanto and Rio models in the first quarter of next year, and then an all-new small SUV in the third quarter.

While Australia's Rondo is currently available in four variants priced from $31,490, the existing Soul is offered in a single Si auto spec for $26,990 plus on-road costs -- $2000 less than the cheapest Sportage Si 2WD auto but pricier than small SUVs like the Mazda CX-3.

While the Soul has been a hit in the US, where the upgraded model is likely to be sold, Kia is yet to announce how many of the changes you see here will make it to Australia, where just over 50 examples of the Soul have been sold so far this year.