Kia has finally committed to producing a body-on-frame pickup truck for North America. The South Korean automaker confirmed the news at its 2026 CEO Investor Day in Seoul, and outlined plans to launch the truck with hybrid and long-range electric variants by 2030. Kia will target the core North American market, where Toyota, GM and Ford have long dominated the midsize pickup segment. Kia has implied that the new truck for the US market will be different from the Kia Tasman, the body-on-frame midsize truck it launched in emerging markets last year. Presumably there will be platform sharing between Kia and Hyundai with a production truck born from the Hyundai Boulder concept that was just shown at the New York Auto Show.
Kia Tasman
Kia President and CEO Ho Sung Song said, “EVs, HEVs, autonomous vehicles and robotics will be the main drivers of Kia’s fastest growth to date.” The company aims to sell 1.02 million vehicles annually in the US by 2030, controlling 6.2 percent of the market. This pickup is a pillar of that growth, in addition to the expansion of the HEV range which has grown from four to eight models. Kia will also leverage the Sportage as its first single model to surpass 200,000 annual sales, while the recently redesigned Telluride SUV increases annual production capacity by 180,000 units.
Hyundai Boulder Concept
The body-on-frame design separates the cab from the cargo bed, providing superior towing and hauling capabilities. This architecture is important. Unibody trucks can flex under heavy loads. Frame-on-rail chassis do not. Kia understands that North American buyers demand durability. The company will offer the pickup with a traditional hybrid powertrain and an EREV configuration – a series hybrid in which the gasoline engine charges the battery but never drives the wheels directly. Song added, “Building on innovation achievements in all areas over the past five years…Kia will proactively respond to changing market conditions through differentiated strategies.”
Kia Tasman
Kia targets 1.1 million HEV sales globally by 2030, plus an additional 1.15 million xHEV units, including plug-ins and EREVs. The pickup will be launched alongside nine new internal combustion models and 14 EVs. Production details are still unknown, but Kia’s Georgia plant – Kia AutoLand Georgia – will likely handle assembly. The company will deploy its new Atlas robotic manufacturing system there in 2029. Competitors should take note. Kia isn’t entering the segment lightly.
