First Kia ute will be available with pure electric power

When Kia announced it will produce not one but two pure-electric utes two weeks ago, we wondered where that leaves the Korean brand’s long-awaited answer to the Toyota HiLux – and now we may have the answer.

Earlier this month Kia said it would introduce two electric pick-ups by 2026 – a “dedicated” model for the US, and a “strategic” model for “emerging markets” – but Kia Australia has always said its first ute would be available with all of the petrol and diesel engines any self-respecting ute needs to be successful Down Under.

In a report published by Automotive News, a Kia insider revealed the car-maker is “exploring the possibility of a global body-on-frame pick-up, likely in the mid-size [Toyota HiLux] segment”.

The respected industry journal indicated the ladder-frame chassis of Kia’s second pick-up should lend itself well to “multiple powertrain options” besides pure electrification, almost certainly meaning a full battery-electric powertrain will be available alongside traditional petrol and diesel engines.

That means that both Kia and its sister brand Hyundai could both offer a full-size dedicated electric pick-up at least for the US and – finally – a smaller global one-tonne ute that will slot straight into Australia’s single biggest sales segment: dual-cab 4x4 utes.

Should the whispers prove fruitful, Kia will be in a prime position to challenge existing heavyweights like the HiLux and Ford Ranger in a local ute segment that will soon take the plunge into various forms of electrification.

Ford, Toyota, SsangYong, GWM and LDV are all confirmed to be or expected to be developing hybrid, plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and/or pure-electric versions of their respective ute models in either this generation or the next; and Kia has form in all of these powertrain types.

Peaky six-cylinder-petrols and toey turbo-diesels also happen to be the Korean brand’s staple Down Under, potentially meaning that none of the other OEMs mentioned above or any of the other ute players (Nissan, Mitsubishi, Isuzu, Mazda and Volkswagen) are safe from the Korean onslaught.

With hybrid and electrification technology developing at an ever-fastening rate, the possible combinations of powertrains Kia will have to play with and utilise in the coming years is almost limitless.

This new intel supports comments previously made by Kia Australia chief operating officer Damien Meredith that the Kia ute(s) “will kick arse” when it eventually materialises.

Meredith’s comments were made prior to the EV ute announcement and were just the latest chapter in a long line of outspoken support for the development of a HiLux-baiting ute.

Automotive News also speculated that the bigger ‘dedicated’ model will be underpinned by the Hyundai Group’s modular e-GMP architecture; however, we now know that particular platform will make way for an all-new integrated modular architecture (IMA) as of 2025, which will be used as a launch pad for the next-gen battery packs and electric motors.

In the meantime, local fans and potential buyers will just have to sit tight and wait for more information to surface, although we do know Kia Australia has both hands up to secure the new utes.

If and when they eventually make their way Down Under, both models will likely carry the Air, Light, Earth and Water trim names – regardless of their model nameplates – as per the rest of the future EV portfolio.

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