The plucky Kia Tasman truck final yr had a polarizing design, but it surely was nonetheless thought of a hit. Now, Kia is celebrating by releasing a second pickup truck, however this time it will be an electric vehicle that, in contrast to 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 based mostly on a brand new EV platform designed for each city and outside use,” the corporate stated in April. “The automobile 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 will be on a brand new EV platform, so it should even be set other than the corporate’s present EV offerings, just like the Kia EV6. The infotainment will probably be just like present Kia EVs and automobiles just like the dual-display know-how within the newer Sportage SUV. Kia final week additionally showcased its extra reasonably priced 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 purpose in a market the place the Ford F-150 Lightning is barely hitting 30,000 models offered. By most accounts, it is an bold gross sales purpose to hit for a automobile that’ll symbolize Kia’s first try at appeasing the US truck purchaser market. Nonetheless, there may be nonetheless room for optimism.
“The fashions constructed on the eGMP line offered over 100,000 models in 2024,” stated Liz Najman, director of market insights at Recurrent, an organization that provides 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 can drive up costs for customers. It’s probably that value will probably be a significant factor for customers within the coming years.”
Najman additionally stated vans have been the 2 top-selling automobiles in 2024, so it is attainable Kia can attain these gross sales targets, supplied that the automaker can hit that candy spot of aggressive pricing and functionality. “Electrical automobiles are seeing robust gross sales numbers once they ship on what prospects 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 models in 2024 and the Tesla Mannequin 3 and the Mannequin Y offered over 150,000 and 370,000 models, respectively.
