South Korean carmaker Kia is reportedly working on a new pickup truck. While this is a relatively big shift for the company, reports also claim that Kia is not working on a full-fledged pickup. Instead, it is working on a small pickup truck which is based on the Santa Cruz concept debuted by its sister company Hyundai back in 2015.
Regarding that status of this rumored pickup truck, Kia Australia Chief Operating Officer Damien Meredith said that "Work has begun." He added that the new Kia pickup would hit the market sometime around 2022 or 2023.
While interest towards this rumored Kia pickup has increased, it is still unknown whether it will be related to another pickup up truck from Hyundai which is expected to be near completion. While Santa Cruz uses a unibody construction process, there are rumors claiming that the Kia pickup will be more robust. Moreover, Mr. Meredith also said that the upcoming pickup from Kia would be based on a "brand-new" platform.
In an interview, Meredith told CarsGuide, "We're talking about a dual-cab, a single-cab - what we've requested is the full gambit for the ute." He added that the upcoming truck would be available in either gas or diesel engine options.
Following Kia's confirmation that it is indeed working on a new pickup, the auto community turned skeptical whether the company can pull it off especially when one has to consider that its sister company, Hyundai, have already confirmed that it is working on this same project and maybe near its completion.
However, there is one caveat to this developing story. The confirmation was made by Kia Australia, and has yet to comment whether the pickup truck will be available worldwide. It is true that some carmakers have released car models on select markets only. There is a certain amount of possibility that this new Kia pickup will only be available in Australia, and may not find its way into the United States.
Some analysts have noted that Kia might well be vigilant about entering the pickup market of the United States, as it is one of the most competitive pickup truck markets in the world. The market is dominated by brands like Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, Jeep, and Nissan. Moreover, it is also going to challenge one of the most iconic, popular, and best-selling pickup truck model in the world, the Ford F-150.
