Kia to build two new electric pickup trucks by 2027

It looks like Kia Motors wants to get into the pickup truck segment soon, but not in the way you think. The South Korean automaker looks to be doubling down on its electric vehicle (EV) efforts as it has announced that two new pickup trucks will join its vehicle lineup by 2027. Kia says that one will be a dedicated model, which hints that it will ride on its bespoke platform, while the other will be a strategic truck. This could indicate that the second model will be targeted towards emerging markets and will likely use an existing or shared chassis with another vehicle.

For the bespoke model, Kia has stated that it will first launch it in the United States sometime around 2024. This is to coincide with the vehicle launch or with a midsize SUV that will be joining the pickup truck on the assembly line. After this, the South Korean automaker also plans to produce midsize EVs for the European market along with other models set to debut in India as well. These new additions will follow midsize EVs that are set to enter production in China in 2023.

That being said, one of the new pickup trucks might be based on the EV9 concept. The vehicle provides a strong chassis for the emerging vehicle segment and is rumored to be 5 feet in length. With its length into consideration, it makes it the ideal platform to share for a pickup truck body to be placed onto.

Kia is also expecting big things from the E-GMP platform that the EV9 will ride on. If one of the new EV pickup truck models will use this platform,  we could see it come with roughly 540 km worth of range. However, it could be less depending on the driving conditions of the vehicle and if it is carrying anything. Realistically we are expecting a range closer to that of around 450kms.

With no further details available, we will just have to wait and see what Kia has in store for its electrified future ahead.