Kia announces body-on-frame midsize pickup truck in US to take on Tacoma and Ranger

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It seemed like the tariffs would kill any chance of Kia’s Tasman pickup making it to the U.S., and it still might not, but the Korean marque just announced new plans for a body-on-frame midsize truck that should arrive before the end of the decade. At the automaker’s annual investor day, CEO Ho Sung Song said Kia is targeting annual US sales of 1.02 million vehicles and a market share of 6.2 percent (across all model lines) with a new line of electrified vehicles, including Extended Range Electric Vehicles (EREVs). Kia is entering a highly competitive space that includes the Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger and Chevrolet Colorado to name a few, but it likely won’t be doing it all by itself.

New Kia pickup to share Hyundai bones with hybrid power

Sister company Hyundai recently announced its own plans to introduce a new midsize pickup that will take visual cues from the Strike Boulder concept revealed at this year’s New York International Auto Show, indicating that the incoming Kia truck will not be a restyled Tasman. It makes sense for Hyundai and Kia to work together, using lessons learned from Tasman and styling from Boulder. Whatever the basis for this new pickup, range-extender hybrid and all-electric powertrains will be offered, something Kia’s CEO sees as “untapped” territory, reports. Automotive News (subscription required). But it will not be used for a long time, and Kia is aware that it should be conservative with the goal; Kia wants to sell 90,000 units of its new truck per year, and that’s a lofty goal, the Toyota Tacoma, for example, moved more than 274,000 units last year.

Related: Hyundai’s Toyota Tacoma Will Be Tougher Than Rival Santa Cruz

Overcoming brand stigmas and proving credibility in the demanding midsize truck space will be big challenges, but as Ho Sung Song’s comments indicate, if Kia can hit the nail on the head when it first enters the U.S. truck market, there’s plenty of potential for growth.

Kia is entering a market that will get competitive fast

Volkswagen-owned Scout Motors is set to expand its range of new Traveler pickups and Terra SUVs by the end of the decade and introduce all-electric versions, and the bulk of its pre-order interest has been for the EREV powertrain. On the more mainstream front, the Ford F-150 Lightning is also becoming an EREV, so there may be room for exponential growth in this area of ​​the market from today’s lenses, but the landscape will be too saturated by the time Kia’s offering arrives.

Along with off-road capability, towing capacity, styling and interior room, the Kia should be on par with or ahead of rivals in terms of range and interior technology. Can it meet the demands of American buyers? Well, both Kia and Hyundai are more respected in America than they were (and rightfully so) two decades ago, and if they want to be as respected as Toyota and its ilk, they have to start somewhere in the truck game. Given how influential Hyundai Motor Group’s brands are and aspire to be, we’re not betting they’ll be impossible to ignore for truck buyers any time soon.

Note: Images in this article are AI-generated renders and should not be considered official Kia concepts.

This story was originally published by Autoblog on April 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Autoblog as a preferred resource by clicking here.