Remember Kia’s funky Soul’ster and Track’ster concept cars from a few years back? They hinted at more exciting versions of the Korean automaker’s Soul hatchback, such as a funky pickup truck in the case of the Soul’ster and an edgy hot hatch in the case of the Track’ster. Well, Kia is about to hint at a yet another Soul variant at the upcoming 2015 Chicago Auto Show with a new concept dubbed the Trail’ster.

As its name suggests, the new concept will hint at an off-roading version of the Soul. We only have two teaser shots at present but already we can see some rugged elements such as a taller ride height, underbody protection and chunky wheels. Kia says the concept will also feature a fully retractable canvas roof.

Kia 2015 Chicago Auto Show teaser image

Kia 2015 Chicago Auto Show teaser image

To ensure it can handle things off the road, the Trail’ster will come with an all-wheel-drive system. This won’t be an ordinary all-wheel-drive system, however, as Kia says the Trail’ster features a “smartly integrated rear electric all-wheel drive system." The automaker also says the Trail’ster is turbocharged, which means we’re most likely looking at a ‘through-the-road’ hybrid all-wheel-drive system where the internal combustion engine powers the front wheels and an electric motor is used for the rear pair. Kia calls the system e-AWD.

We should have all the details soon as the Chicago Auto Show kicks off February 12. In the meantime, you can read about possible production plans for the Trail’ster at our sister site Green Car Reports. You can also see what else will be present in Chicago by visiting our dedicated show hub.

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