The Korean auto giant is entering unknown territories to further its footprint and access new customers
Kia has confirmed that it is currently developing a new mid-size electric pickup for North America. This announcement came during its annual Investor Day event. Note that Kia already sells the Tasman in Australia. However, the new truck will use a new platform and be all-electric. If you have plans of launching a new pickup truck, only a few other markets will seem as enticing as North America.
You might also like: Kia EV4 Officially Unveiled – All You Need To Know!
New Kia Electric Pickup
We already witnessed the heavily camouflaged EV prototype a few months ago. Kia’s first-ever electric pickup test mule was spotted driving on the U.S. roads. At the front, one is able to get a sneak peek at the vertically oriented LED DRLs on the extreme edges. I believe the LED headlamp setup will bear a resemblance to the EV9 SUV. In addition, the beefy wheel arches and black alloy wheels were also visible.
The visuals also encapsulate the size of the cargo bed along with the second-row seating. It will certainly qualify as a mid-size electric pickup. Even on the inside, you can be sure that the Korean carmaker will leave no stone unturned to offer the latest gadgets and gizmos to pamper the consumers. In fact, that is something Kia has been doing for a long time.
Just to know how ambitious Kia is about this project, it said that the yearly sales target for this electric pickup is 90,000. Moreover, it wants to grab around 7% market share of the overall truck market in the U.S. For reference, Ford was able to sell 7,187 units of the F-150 Lightning in the first quarter. On the other hand, Tesla sold close to 12,000 Cybertrucks in the same time. Clearly, Kia has high hopes for its upcoming EV.
You might also like: Kia EV3 Dual-Motor AWD GT Trim Seen Testing
Learn Electric Cars Says
As per my estimates, we might be able to experience the EV in the flesh by next year (2026) or 2027. However, it remains to be seen which batteries the electric pickup will use. Also, since Kia is relatively new to the pickup truck market, its capabilities will need to be top-notch to pull the customers away from the established carmakers in this space. I shall keep an eye out for more details as they emerge.