Although there are only two in this segment, small wars sure do flare up. You have the 2023 Ford Maverick and the 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz, both of which have proven that Americans are willing to spend money on a compact pickup. And with Hyundai owning a significant stake in Kia, the question must be asked: Is there someone coming to our shores?
Will Kia come out with a pickup truck?
While it is not currently building a truck for the local market, signs are saying that a Kia truck is coming soon. There have been spy shots of some sort in Korea, and it’s hard not to see the brand wanting to introduce something in the States.
Spy shots of the alleged Kia pickup look more like a truck than something like the Hyundai Santa Cruz. The Santa Cruz isn’t very popular, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad pickup. Consumers seem to appreciate the Maverick’s traditional look more.
Add to that the fact that Ford is a well-known manufacturer of trucks, and it only makes sense that its compact pickups would be so popular.
If a Kia truck looks like your typical truck despite its smaller size, it may be outperforming it for market share. But until we see a final product, it will be difficult to say exactly what the Korean automaker has planned.
Will there be a Kia pickup truck?
Whether or not Kia delivers a truck is up in the air, at least for the United States. The brand has truck variations elsewhere, but not here. But when it becomes clear that there is a market for this type of vehicle, and if the brand can produce one country, then perhaps we will see another pickup truck.
Heck, Kia could target the midsize market on one of these pickups. But so far, no rumors have been confirmed. What we have now is some spy footage from around the Pacific and we want more competitors in this segment. Especially if Kia decides to take some risks by producing an electric truck. After all, the company is committed to electrifying its group by a certain year.
