The South Korean automaker has confirmed developing a new body-on-frame pickup for North America. While the company already has one truck in its portfolio known as the Tasman, it’s not represented in the United States and otherwise isn’t a strong seller.
All technical details will have to wait until the launch, which should take place sometime before 2030. Kia says it plans to ship the new truck as a traditional hybrid vehicle and also as a range-extender hybrid, using an internal combustion engine solely to generate power for the e-motors. Once out and about, the model will compete in the same segment as the Ford Ranger and the Toyota Tacoma.
Other than that, the company envisions a gradual hybridization of its lineup over the next four years. The current Kia Seltos and Telluride for the USA, as well as the Kia K4 for Europe are listed next in line for partial electrification. The automaker’s strategy mentions 13 new hybrids as “scheduled for launch until 2030”, but we still don’t know the full list.
