Kia Electric Vehicles: Everything we know about the new electric pickup so far
The Tasman Truck, launched last year, is considered a success despite its polarization design. Kia celebrates by releasing its second pickup truck: a different electric car from the Tasman comes to North America.
“Kia plans to introduce EV pickup trucks based on a new electric vehicle platform designed for urban and outdoor use,” the company said 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 make the upcoming EV setup with Hyundai Santa Fe (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 EV pickup truck: Will the United States succeed?
According to the statement, Kia is expected to sell approximately 90,000 of these new EV pickups each year, in the 30,000 units sold by Ford F-150 Lightning. 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.
“Electric vehicles see strong sales when delivering what customers want,” Najmain said. He stressed that in electric car sales, Ford Mustang Mach-E and Jeep Wrangler PHEV sold more than 50,000 units respectively in 2024, while Model 3 and Model Y sold more than 150,000 and 370,000 units respectively.
