Kia has reiterated its plans to launch an electric ute, and it projects the battery-powered model will be more popular than the upcoming Tasman.
At its 2025 investor day, Kia once again spoke of the upcoming electric vehicle (EV), which is set to be built and sold in North America.
Though we still don’t have a potential launch date, Kia says it eventually plans to sell 90,000 examples of the electric ute annually – about 10,000 more than the Tasman.
While the EV will be exclusive to North America, the Tasman will be sold in South Korea, Australia and other popular markets for turbo-diesel utes of similar size.
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Kia Tasman
“Kia aims to meet diverse market needs for pickup trucks with both internal combustion engine (ICE) and EV models,” the carmaker said.
“The brand’s first pickup truck, the Tasman, will launch in Korea, Australia and emerging markets, with an annual sales target of 80,000 units and a six percent market share.
“In North America, Kia plans to introduce an EV pickup truck based on a new EV platform designed for both urban and outdoor use.
“With this innovative model, Kia targets mid-to-long-term annual sales of 90,000 units and a seven percent market share.
“The vehicle will feature best-in-class interior and cargo space, a robust towing system, off-road capabilities, and advanced infotainment and safety features.”
It’s not yet clear what will underpin the North American electric ute, though given Kia has previously said it’ll be a “dedicated” EV, it’s likely to not be a body-on-frame chassis.
Unfortunately it’s unlikely we’ll see it in Australia, as Kia’s West Point, Georgia plant in the US exclusively builds left-hand drive models.
However, that doesn’t mean we won’t see an electric Kia ute in Australia, as the Tasman is very likely to eventually adopt battery power.
In December, Kia South Africa’s head of marketing, Christo Valentyn, told CarBuzz that a fully electric version of the Tasman is happening.
“I’m probably not supposed to say this, but… an electric one is coming,” Mr Valentyn reportedly said at a media roundtable.
Speaking to Australian media at the local launch of the Tasman in November, Kia Australia product planning general manager Roland Rivero said “there’s no sacred cows” when asked whether there’s potential for mild-hybrid, hybrid, plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and all-electric versions of the new ute.
“We’ll look at over the course of its product life cycle, what we need to do to continue to maintain that sales plan of 20,000 [sales] or 10 per cent of the market.”
While some carmakers are reducing the emissions of certain models by offering electrified alternatives – ahead of Australia imposing penalties under the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) from July – Mr Rivero said Kia won’t need to do so with the Tasman just yet.
“We actually have an opportunity because, perhaps unlike other brands, we’ve got other [EV] products doing the heavy lifting under the NVES to help build up some credits,” he said in November.
“Irrespective of our ICE offerings that are coming – K4 and Tasman – we do have EV5 and EV3 and they can do the initial heavy lifting.”
MORE: Electric Kia Tasman still on the cards
MORE: Kia’s other ute could miss the boat to Australia
