Two electric Kia truck models are coming to dealers in 2026 [Update]

Kia will experiment with several new types of products as it transforms into an EV brand in the coming years. One of the categories it plans to enter is electric pickup trucks. Not one but two electric Kia truck models are in the pipeline, both due by 2026.

Kia has not provided details, but certainly, the larger of the two electric trucks could be designed for the United States, which is the world’s biggest market for this body type. Image: Kia Worldwide/Youtube

Dedicated & Strategic Kia electric truck models planned

At the 2022 Kia CEO Investor Day (March 3, 2022), Kia announced that it has changed its long-term plan of expanding its EV line-up from 11 models by 2026 to 14 models by 2027. Two of the three additional EVs Kia has confirmed to be on its roadmap are electric truck models (Kia electric pickup trucks). According to a report from thekoreancarblog.com, the internal codename of one of the electric trucks is ‘Kia TK.’

Kia has said that one of the two Kia truck models will be a dedicated EV and the other a “strategic model.” The latter could refer to a modified internal combustion engine vehicle platform. Since last year, reports have talked about the Electric Hyundai Santa Cruz, which could be loaned to Kia to generate its offering, while the other could be a brand new truck, designed from a clean sheet, to challenge the Ford F-150 Lightning, Tesla Cybertruck and the Rivian R1T.

Kia Pickup concept (unofficial render) by automotive designer Sungjin Jo via Behance

Starting in 2023, Kia will release at least 2 new EV models a year to establish a full line-up of 14 electric vehicles by 2027. On top of the 11 EV models announced last year, the electric pickup trucks and an emerging market entry EV are new additions.

What is stopping the company from launching a gas-engined Kia truck?

In December 2021, which was before the announcement of the electric Kia truck models, a report from CarsGuide.com.au said that a conventional Kia truck (Kia pickup truck) may not be on the manufacturer’s agenda. Kia is unlikely to offer a gas-engined sister product to the Hyundai Santa Cruz, which went to become the fastest-selling new truck in the USA in August 2021.

CarsGuide spoke to Kia Australia’s COO Damian Meredith who admitted that a Kia ute/pickup is “probably a long shot”, and that if Kia wanted to launch a pickup, it would have launched the product by now. Kia Australia had pitched for a pickup four years ago, given that the body style is Australia’s best-selling car accounting for 20 percent of overall sales. Kia had forecast it could sell 20,000 pickups a year in Australia.

However, it appears there are strong reasons holding Kia back from launching a pickup currently. The first is that unlike the Santa Cruz, which is based on the Tucson’s unibody platform, a Kia pickup targeting the Australian customer needs ruggedness and 4WD capability, as rivals include ladder-frame based Toyota Hilux and the die-hard Ford Ranger. Kia does not have access to a ladder-frame chassis, and the one ladder-frame product it sells (Kia Mojave) is left-hand drive only and an old product.

The monocoque used by the Santa Cruz would work for the lifestyle segment in a market like the U.S.. However, it would attract criticism in Australia, New Zealand, or South Africa where ute customers prefer the rugged ladder-frame chassis. Image – Hyundai

Developing a right-hand drive compatible ladder-frame chassis would cost a lot of money, and with the transition to electric vehicles, and new manufacturers like Rivian and Tesla paving the way for electric truck models, Kia would rather develop an electric pickup from scratch for this application.

“Open Arms”

Answering Autocar.co.uk in 2021, Kia’s design head Karim Habib, said he would welcome a pickup with “open arms,” stating that he believed even in the U.S., despite loyalty to existing brands, there are new opportunities opening up.

Before venturing into new segments where they have no experience, it’s important Kia introduce zero-emission alternatives to the bread earners like Forte, Sportage, Telluride, and Optima. According to JD Power, 78.5 percent of the estimated retail sales in the U.S. auto market (of new vehicles) were SUVs and pickups (trucks) in 2021.

Featured image: TopElectricSUV.com’s rendering of a Kia electric pickup truck derived from the Hyundai Santa Cruz.

Keyword: Two electric Kia truck models are coming to dealers in 2026 [Update]