Kia Pickup Truck Confirmed For 2025 Launch

According to a report from Australian publicationDrive, Kia held a confidential briefing with dealers to inform them that a new double-cab pickup truck will hit showrooms in 2025. The dealers have reportedly been told to expect a "genuine and serious rival" to the likes of the Toyota HiLux andFord Ranger. That's a very tough ask, as these offerings have been the country's best sellers for the past six years running, but it seems that Kia is doing its due diligence, as the project has been in the works since 2020, suggesting that Kia will not be launching a speculative product but one that can be genuinely worthwhile in a very competitive segment.

The same report claims that the as-yet-unnamed pickup - being developed under the internal code 'TK' - will match the towing and hauling capacity of the best-selling pickups, but what engines will be offered remains to be seen. An electric variant may also be in the works, possibly arriving on the same heavy-duty ladder-frame chassis that this new pickup (in combustion-powered form) will debut.

The pickup has beenpreviously spied covered in camobut appears to feature a rugged design based on thebody-on-frame Mohave SUVsold in foreign markets.

Things look promising, but we're cautious about Kia's prospects for success. The truck market is very different than other cars, and buyers tend to be loyal to a brand. Evidence of this can be found in sister company Hyundai's impressive年代anta Cruz, which was introduced with stylish looks and clever design ideas, yet is beingcomprehensively outsold in America by the Ford Maverick, which arrived much later.

Convincing Australians to part with their trusted Fords and Toyotas to try out a new Kia will be quite the challenge.