The plucky Kia Tasman truck final yr had a polarizing design, however it was nonetheless thought of successful. Now, Kia is celebrating by releasing a second pickup truck, however this time it will be an electrical car that, not like the Tasman, will come to North America.
Particulars are pretty slim proper now, however some conclusions may be drawn from the corporate. “Kia plans to introduce an EV pickup truck primarily based on a brand new EV platform designed for each city and out of doors use,” the corporate stated in April. “The car will function best-in-class inside and cargo house, a sturdy towing system, off-road capabilities and superior infotainment and security options.”
The inclusion of off-road capabilities would set the EV other than the Hyundai Santa Fe, which is the one pickup truck that Kia or its sister firm sells within the US. It’s going to be on a brand new EV platform, so it can even be set other than the corporate’s present EV choices, just like the Kia EV6. The infotainment will probably be just like present Kia EVs and automobiles just like the dual-display expertise within the newer Sportage SUV. Kia final week additionally showcased its extra inexpensive EV sedan, with CNET readily available to see the most recent 2026 Kia EV4.
Will the Kia electrical pickup truck succeed within the US?
Per the assertion, Kia is anticipating to promote roughly 90,000 of those new EV pickups per yr, a lofty objective in a market the place the Ford F-150 Lightning is barely hitting 30,000 items offered. By most accounts, it is an bold gross sales objective to hit for a car that’ll symbolize Kia’s first try at appeasing the US truck purchaser market. Nonetheless, there’s nonetheless room for optimism.
“The fashions constructed on the eGMP line offered over 100,000 items in 2024,” stated Liz Najman, director of market insights at Recurrent, an organization that gives impartial insights on EV efficiency. “Furthermore, just like the EV6, Kia pickups will probably be made within the US, serving to keep away from pricey tariffs that may drive up costs for shoppers. It’s probably that value shall be a significant component for shoppers within the coming years.”
Najman additionally stated vehicles have been the 2 top-selling automobiles in 2024, so it is doable Kia can attain these gross sales objectives, supplied that the automaker can hit that candy spot of aggressive pricing and functionality. “Electrical automobiles are seeing sturdy gross sales numbers once they ship on what clients need,” she stated, highlighting that with electrical automobile gross sales, the Ford Mustang Mach-E and the Jeep Wrangler PHEV every offered over 50,000 items in 2024 and the Tesla Mannequin 3 and the Mannequin Y offered over 150,000 and 370,000 items, respectively.