Kia said it wanted a midsize truck for the American market and that it would not be the body-on-frame Tasman in other markets. The brand said we would find out more details soon. And now we have them. Kia unveiled a product roadmap at its CEO Investor Day in Seoul. In it, the brand confirmed it is bringing an electric pickup to America.
Key Takeaways
- Kia confirmed plans to build an electric pickup for America
- It will use a new platform for urban and outdoor use
- Kia promises to deliver “best-in-class interior and cargo space”
- We don’t know when Kia will debut its new truck
- But it should be successful when Kia does release it
Kia Is Building A Midsize EV Truck For America
Kia did not get into too many specifics about its new truck. It won’t ride on the E-GMP platform that underpins vehicles like the EV6 and EV9 crossovers. Kia says its truck will use a new EV platform designed for “urban and outdoor use.” The brand promises “best-in-class interior and cargo space” and a robust towing system and off-road capability.
Kia’s press release doesn’t explicitly say midsize truck. However, the brand says it plans to sell 90,000 units and achieve a seven percent market share (eventually). Those numbers do not align with the larger full-size truck market. That sales volume in 2024 would have put the truck in third-place in the midsize segment behind the Toyota Tacoma and the Chevrolet Colorado and fifth-place in Kia’s lineup behind the Telluride, Sportage, and Sorento crossovers and the K4/Forte sedan.
Kia has not offered a timeline for the new electric truck yet. Kia does have a to-be-named vehicle that’s supposed to enter production at Hyundai’s new Metaplant in 2026. But the vehicle using a new platform and not appearing in concept form yet suggests that it may be too ambitious of a timeline. Kia’s product roadmap was for 2030. So, the truck should arrive by then at the latest.
There Should Be A Market For A Kia Electric Truck
There should be an opening for Kia to sell an electric midsize truck. The Rivian R1T starts at $70,000, leaving ample room to undercut it. Rivian isn’t launching its new cheaper R2 platform with a pickup. And there isn’t even a fuel-efficient option in the segment beyond the R1T. There have been rumblings about a small Nissan pickup and multiple Toyota electric trucks. But nothing has yet been confirmed.
The midsize segment has traditionally been more open to new brands and alternatives than the full-size segment, even embracing vehicles like the Honda Ridgeline, which isn’t a body-on-frame truck. And while Kia doesn’t have Toyota’s durable truck background to fall back on, it does have a track record of producing cool electric vehicles.
TopSpeed’s Take
The paradigm Kia will want to follow with its new electric truck is the Telluride crossover. As it was with three-row family SUVs, midsize pickups are a hot, fast-growing segment. But it’s also a segment where manufacturers aren’t meeting the moment in key areas like luxury, efficiency, and style. Kia won’t take down the Tacoma in sales. But there’s room to carve out a substantial niche in midsize trucks if the brand nails it. And Kia has given little reason to doubt it will.
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