Kia branched out into the body-on-frame midsize pickup market with the kind of goofy-looking Tasman. Kia has confirmed that the Tasman will not come to the United States. But that does not mean the American market won’t get a new Kia pickup truck. Kia CEO Ho Sung Song spoke to Automotive News at the Seoul Mobility Show and confirmed that Kia is looking to build a pickup truck for the U.S. and will reveal more details soon.
Key Takeaways
- Kia broke into the midsize truck segment with the Tasman
- The brand confirmed the Tasman is not coming to America
- But Kia is planning a different truck for America
- It could be an electric truck that Kia alluded to in its 2030 product roadmap
- And it could be built at Hyundai’s new Metaplant in Georgia
Kia’s New American Truck Is Not The Tasman
Song told Automotive News that Kia would have more details about its U.S.-bound pickup truck “next week;” Kia has its Investor Day presentation scheduled for April 9th. Song did not provide any more info about the truck. But he did reiterate that the new American truck would not be the Tasman.
“We don’t develop that vehicle for the American market,” Song said.
“But in the meantime, we are now seriously studying how to get into the pickup truck market in the United States through a different model that is not the Tasman.”
Will Kia’s New American Truck Be Electric?
Kia quasi-confirmed an electric pickup for America when it delivered its 2030 product road map during an Investor Day presentation in 2022. The brand noted, “in the United States, where mid-sized SUVs and pickups are popular, electric versions of these models will be produced locally from 2024.” Local production would be critical given the new tariff regime. A yet-to-be-named Kia vehicle will enter production at Hyundai’s new Metaplant in Georgia in 2026. And that plant will specialize in EVs.
Kia’s corporate sibling, Hyundai, is also interested in entering the American midsize pickup market. However, that proposed truck would be a rebadged version of the Chevrolet Colorado and be built by General Motors.
TopSpeed’s Take
Kia has been on a roll in America this decade. The brand has not been shy about entering new segments with standouts like the Telluride SUV or creating new segments with the three-row, all-electric EV9 SUV. Foreign brands face far less of a sales headwind building midsize trucks — as the Toyota Tacoma has shown — than full-size trucks.
Kia doesn’t have Toyota’s vaunted reputation for reliability and durability, which helps its truck sales. But the brand does have a reputation as a major player in the EV space. The midsize truck segment is crying out for something even resembling an efficient option. And there could be an opening for Kia if it can get an electric truck on the road before Toyota does.
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