No, Kia hasn't announced that it's going to produce a pickup truck. But there are hints here and there that the company is thinking about it. Let's take a look at what's being said about it.
The speculation about a possible Kia pickup isn’t new, but it’s been reignited by the musings in an interview of Karim Habib, Kia's design boss. When asked by British mag Autocar if he'd like to see a pickup truck in the lineup, he mentioned that he'd “welcome [a pickup] with open arms”.
That’s a green light for speculating, of course. For one thing, what kind of pickup truck might they want to produce? That’s not known, but Habib was referring to a model that could credibly be sold in the U.S. market. The options are numerous: Kia could go for a traditional pickup truck built on a ladder chassis, or one with the chassis of an SUV to offer a more urban, user-friendly solution. Like the Santa Cruz model, produced by Kia’s Hyundai Group stablemate, Hyundai.
A little further outside the box, Kia could even do like Ford with its new Maverick, which is compact, affordable and fuel-economical. Even further out in left field sits the possibility of an all-electric pickup truck.
Recall that in 2019, Kia had approved plans for a pickup truck, but we haven't seen anything materialize since.
Finally, another interesting point is that Kia's Australian division has reportedly asked the executives for an SUV with a chassis on a frame, much like the Chevrolet Tahoe. If such a project comes to fruition, the company would then have the basis to manufacture other models, both at Kia and Hyundai, to help defray development costs. And, of course, from that could be born a full-size pickup truck.
It's all speculation, of course, but when a topic comes up frequently with a manufacturer, it's worth keeping a close eye on.
See also: Is Nissan working on an electric small pickup truck?
