With Kia currently working to strengthen its position in the EV market, be it in America or overseas, the South Korean automaker’s next big step involves entering the electric pickup segment. And Kia is currently preparing to launch not one, but two EV trucks by 2027.
In March 2022, Kia introduced a 2030 roadmap showing it would offer no less than 14 electric vehicles globally by 2027. Among these future arrivals, we have two Kia electric trucks.
The first vehicle in the company’s EV plan is labeled as a “strategic model for emerging markets”. Having already been spotted testing in its home country, this model is expected to use the Tasman nameplate and be offered in ICE, as well as EV form. However, this model is unlikely to make it Stateside.
The second model is a “dedicated electric pickup truck”. This means the Kia EV truck will use the Integrated Modular Architecture (IMA) architecture, an evolution of the current E-GMP global modular platform that serves multiple electric models of the company, including the EV9 mid-size SUV.
In terms of styling, Kia has already established an EV design identity (here’s how this could evolve for the upcoming Kia EV6 facelift). And we’ve brought along a rendering that borrows the styling of the EV9 for the Kia electric pickup truck, courtesy of SRK Designs.
Kia’s electric pickup truck will be built in the US
Kia’s roadmap shows that it will build its electric SUVs and pickup trucks in the US. As a reminder, assembly in North America is mandated by the $430 billion U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of August 2022 for a vehicle to qualify for the (up to) $7,500 U.S. consumer electric vehicle tax credits.
Kia’s dedicated electric truck will likely be built alongside the EV9 in Georgia, where the company invested $200 million in its West Point plant. As for the battery pack, which also has to be built in the US, Kia could source this from CATL.
As far as pricing goes, the current trend towards more affordable EVs means Kia could make efforts to offer its dedicated electric truck with a starting price of under $50,000. And since no prototypes have been spotted to date, expect the Kia EV pickup truck to be launched in late 2026 at the earliest.
No Hyundai version expected
Now, while most vehicles in the Kia range have Hyundai sister models—you can always see things the other way around—the Kia electric truck may be one of the exceptions. One argument for this involves the lack of a Kia equivalent to the 2021-introduced Hyundai Santa Cruz compact ICE truck.
Plus, with EV sales in the US showing a more temperate growth last year, the South Korean company may wish to enter the electric truck segment gradually. So we wouldn’t hold our breath for a Hyundai EV truck coming by 2027.
