Last year, Kia announced its grand Kia Tasman, which the automaker sees as successful despite design polarization. Kia celebrates by launching its second pickup: Electric cars different from the Tasman come to North America.
“Kia plans to introduce an EV pickup truck based on a new electric vehicle platform for urban and outdoor use,” the company said in a statement earlier in April. “The vehicle will feature first-class interior and cargo space, a strong traction system, off-road capabilities, and advanced infotainment and safety features.”
The details are pretty slim now, but some conclusions can be drawn from Kia’s statement: the inclusion of off-road features will separate the upcoming EV from Hyundai Santa Fe, the only pickup truck currently sold in the U.S. KIA or its sister company.
It will be on the new EV platform, so it will also distinguish itself from the company’s existing EV products, such as the Kia EV6. Infotainment may be similar to current Kia electric cars and vehicles, such as the dual-play technology in the recent Kia Sportage SUV.
Kia also showed off its more affordable EV sedan last week, with CNET seeing the 2026 KIA EV4 on hand.
Kia Electric Pickup Truck: Will it be successful in the United States?
According to the press release, Kia is expected to sell approximately 90,000 new EV pickups each year, a lofty goal in the market where the Ford F-150 Lightning barely sells 30,000 units sold. From most cases, this is an ambitious sales target that can hit Kia’s first attempt to add to the U.S. truck buyer market. However, there is still room for optimism.
“The model built on the EGMP series,” said Liz Najman, director of market insights at Recurrent. “In addition, like the EV6, Kia pickups may be made in the United States, helping to avoid expensive tariffs, thereby increasing consumer prices. Price may be a major factor for consumers in the coming years.”
Najma also said the trucks are the two best-selling vehicles of 2024, so Kia has the potential to meet its sales targets, but only if automakers can reach great locations for competitive prices and capabilities.
“When you look at EV sales, Ford Mustang Mach-E and Jeep Wrangler’s PHEV sold 50k units in 2024, and of course, Model 3 and Model Y sold 150K+ and 370K+ units,” Najmain said. “They sell very high when electric cars deliver what customers want.”
