Is the Kia Soul just a touch too big for your needs?

Well if you happen to live in Kia’s home market of S. Korea, you could look into their newest offering, dubbed the Ray.

While the name might sound similar to the sea creature, the Kia Ray is neither sleek or stealthy. What it is, is a boxy city car for people who live in major metropolitan cities like Seoul.

The skin is very much in keeping with the style of all modern Kia’s, so it has a wide grille accented with chrome, plus L.E.D. daytime running lights.

What lies under the skin is anybody’s guess at the moment, although it could very possibly be carrying the three-cylinder, 1.0-liter engine or the four-cylinder, 1.25-liter engine currently offered in the Picanto, a model Kia sells in Asia and Europe, but not North America. An electric version of the Ray is also rumored.

It is also believed that while the Ray does not use the Picanto platform, much of the hardware will be shared between the two models to reduce cost.

What will surely be very unique to the Ray is the way its doors are arranged. While the rear door behind the driver opens conventionally, the rear passenger door slides, like in a minivan.

The Kia Ray might not make it to the North American market, but it could be headed to showrooms in other Asian markets like China.

[Source: Autocar]

Kia is working to infuse all of its vehicles with passion, even hybrids. Over the past year Kia launched the exciting Forte Koup, along with a related motorsports program and more recently it advertised during the SuperBowl for the first time with an edgy commercial featuring the all-new Sorento and a bucnh of life size toys – two of which made an appearance at the Chicago Auto Show. And so if Kia can make a mid-sized crossover seem fun, why not a hybrid?

Using Kia’s new Eco Dynamics philosophy, the company’s design team set out to make concept car that would reduce a person’s carbon footprint, while not being a carbon copy – hinting at the obvious fact that all hybrids tend to look the same. The result is the Ray plug-in hybrid concept. And as wild as it looks, Kia’s VP of Marketing Michael Sprague said it’s closer than you can imagine, announcing that later this year the automaker would deliver its first “alternative energy” production model. Sprague did not clarify if it would be a hybrid, but it will likely be a hybrid version of the Optima/Magentis model, following Hyundai’s release of the hybrid Sonata.

Kia didn’t release any info on the Ray, ignoring things like miles per gallon, recharging times and horsepower. Instead it focused on the Ray’s design with plenty of glass, light weight seats, solar panels on the roof, a full covered underbody and a rear spoiler than elongates at speed to recude drag on the vehicle thereby making it more efficient.

GALLERY: Kia Ray Plug-In Hybrid Concept

Kia has released one more teaser photo of the Ray plug-in hybrid concept that it will debut at the Chicago Auto Show next week. As with all modern Kia’s it has a sporty, if not downright aggressive look and we’re eager to see what the whole package looks like.

We expect that the Ray will use the same hybrid setup as found in parent-company Hyundai’s Blue-Will concept, with a 152-hp 1.6-liter direct-injection 4-cylinder engine and a 100kW electric motor that achieves a 50-55 mpg in standard hybrid mode, or as much as 106 mpg in plug-in hybrid mode.

This same hybrid setup is also rumored to be what will power the upcoming Hyundai Sonata hybrid, although the Sonata won’t get the plug-in capability.

For complete 2010 Chicago Auto Show coverage click here

GALLERY: Kia Ray PHEV Concept