Kia Australia executives like the look of the Soul'ster but are playing down its future.
Opportunity is knocking but the current global car crisis may have shut the door on a low-cost all-wheel drive ute.
However, Korean carmaker Kia could step into the breach, admitting that the Soul'ster concept shows promise.
But could it become a replacement for the venerable Subaru Brumby?
"That's a tough question," Kia Australia's head of product planning, Nick Reid, says.
Kia Australia executives like the look of the Soul'ster but are playing down its future.
Reid is reluctant to speculate on what could happen with the show car, but there is a clear push in North America for the concept to become a production reality.
The two-door, four-seater Soul'ster received an enthusiastic public response when it was unveiled at last year's Los Angeles Motor Show and aired at the Detroit Motor Show last month.
The vice president of sales at Kia Motors America, Tom Loveless, added his weight behind the ute, saying at Detroit the company is "studying the possibility" of a production version.
That's potentially good news for Australia, which has not had a low-cost all-wheel drive ute since the original Brumby.
When sales ended in March 1994 there was a collective sigh from Aussie farmers.
The Brumby had become a national farm favourite and even today commands strong prices in the used market.
Over its 17-year model life, Subaru Australia sold more than 30,000 but in recent years the company has resisted calls to build a replacement.
Company executives say it has moved on from the budget end of the market.
The absence of a low-cost rural ute left the way open for Proton to flog its front-wheel drive Jumbuck ute as the farmers' friend.
The $14,990 1.5-litre Jumbuck has been a stalwart for Proton, filling a gap left by the Brumby.
Now, the Jumbuck is scheduled for replacement next year and is a prime candidate for a turbo-diesel engine and all-wheel drive.
However, Proton Australia managing director, John Startari, has hosed down speculation on its replacement in the current economic climate.
"We're still doing feasibility studies," he says.
Startari says the biggest problem facing the company is cost, because an all-wheel drive variant would add substantially to the bottom line.
He still believes there is strong interest in Australia, South Africa and even Thailand for a small, purpose-built low-cost ute.
But getting approval for such a car would be tough in today's climate, he says.
The Soul'ster may be a likely candidate but its biggest problem is that it uses the Soul front-wheel drive platform, which was not developed with all-wheel drive in mind.
