There’s been speculation about the advent of a pickup truck for years, and now we have solid evidence that a game-changer is on the way. We finally saw it take shape, and it’s bigger than expected.
What we know about the Kia pickup truck so far
The first pictures of the official appeared! This is the first time a Kia-badged truck has been spotted. But there are a lot of rumors going around. Some evidence indicates that two trucks are on the way.
Kia has confirmed that two new pickup trucks are on the way. Both are expected to be electric and will arrive by 2027. One will be a dedicated truck and the other will be a strategic model for emerging markets.
The truck pictured could be a new Kia for other countries like Brazil and Australia, where smaller trucks like the Mazda Strada and Ram 700 are very popular. Typically, these trucks are a bit underpowered by American standards.
But rumor has it that the truck will be even bigger than the Hyundai Santa Cruz. It could enter the midsize truck market to rival the Toyota Tacoma, Honda Ridgeline, Ford Ranger and Nissan Frontier.
Also, we’ve heard some clues about a potential Kia Telluride pickup truck coming to America. Therefore, there is a lot of information to confirm or deny.
How much power will the Kia truck have?
It is currently unclear how much power it will have. If it’s electric, it can borrow the powertrain setup from the Kia EV6. It uses a 77.4 kWh battery pack and rear-wheel drive to generate 225 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque.
You can upgrade to an AWD model for two electric motors that deliver 320 horsepower and 446 lb-ft of torque. But these numbers may be different to account for the extra weight of the truck. Also, it could share parts with the larger Kia EV9 SUV, which is expected to have more power.
The Kia Telluride packs a punch with its 3.8-liter V6 engine that puts out 291 horsepower and 261 pound-feet of torque. But it can only tow up to 5,500 lbs. Hopefully, the Kia truck has a little more power.
The new truck in the spy shots is heavily covered in camouflage, but the headlights match those of the Kia Mohave, which is the Telluride’s cousin. This could be to hide the Kia Telluride’s pickup truck or keep the EV side a secret.
Also, Mohave offers a turbocharged engine that isn’t available in the US and has more off-road chops than the Telluride. This may indicate that the Kia pickup truck will dominate the wilderness.
When will the new Kia truck come out?
It is expected to arrive by 2024, so we can learn more about it soon. Kia trucks can use existing internal combustion engines before electric powertrains are acquired. Also, if it’s made in America, you’ll avoid the 25% chicken tax.
Some rumors suggest that a universal truck could be manufactured in Korea, making it more affordable in the United States. But this is better than the alternative. The Mojave-based truck probably won’t come to America.
Stay tuned for the latest updates. We’ve been following guides on Kia trucks for years, and we’re not going to stop now.
