Hybrid power has been confirmed for Kia utes – but, for now, not the one sold in Australia.
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Kia has confirmed plans to launch a new body-on-frame dual-cab ute with the choice of regular petrol-electric hybrid and futuristic range-extender hybrid power.
For Australians, however, there is a catch: it is not a Tasman, and it may never be sold by Kia in Australia.
However, the technology that will power it – promising the performance of an electric ute with the range of a petrol or diesel one – could come to local showrooms in the long-promised dual-cab from sister brand Hyundai.
Plans announced by Kia head office to investors and media overnight will see the Korean marque launch a new "dedicated HEV/EREV pick-up" in North America by the end of the decade.
HEV references 'conventional' hybrid technology, where the vehicle can drive on electric power, petrol power, or a combination of both at any given time, with a connection between both sources and the wheels.
EREV is short for Extended Range Electric Vehicle, where the wheels are driven by electric motors, and the petrol engine can only be used as a generator to produce energy to top up the battery, which can also be recharged externally.
It is a layout popular in China, and increasingly spreading to export markets as a way of producing an electric ute while maintaining the long driving range needed for touring, towing and load hauling.
The extended-range model is due first, in 2029, ahead of the conventional hybrid in 2030, the investor presentation suggests.
While the brand has used silhouettes of the current 2.2-litre turbo-diesel Tasman to illustrate the new pick-up, and a Tasman hybrid is believed to be in development, Kia explicitly calls it a "US dedicated" model.
Its technology could end up in Australian showrooms, however, through Kia's sister brand Hyundai.
The Kia presentation reveals the new US-market pick-up will be built in Hyundai's factory in the state of Georgia, strongly suggesting the Kia will be twinned with an upcoming Hyundai ute also confirmed for a US launch by decade's end.
It is one of the options on the table for Hyundai Australia as its first ute for local showrooms, the company suggesting it is working with its US counterparts on the project.
"It's still in a work progress. It's probably more towards another couple of years from now. It's still in consideration, to work in collaboration with the US," Hyundai Australia chief operating officer Gavin Donaldson told media earlier this year.
If the US Hyundai ute is the one selected for Australia, and it is produced in the US for local showrooms, it opens the door to a right-hand-drive version of its Kia sibling.
More likely for Kia Australia showrooms is a hybrid version of the Tasman, possibly using a new 2.5-litre turbo-petrol engine and electric motor combination that debuted in the latest Hyundai Palisade.
"We already have a hybrid system [in the Kia range], but now we are considering it is good for utes and/or ladder-frame SUVs. ... We are not decided," Dong Hoon Kang, Kia Vice President of Mid-Large Sized Vehicle Chassis Engineering Design Centre, told Drive last year.
"Now, the system that we developed in the Palisade, that's the FF [front-engined, front-wheel-drive] system. Tasman is FR [front-engined, rear-wheel-drive] system, so we need a FR system."
Plans for an electric Kia ute for the US market have been placed on hold amid President Donald Trump's tariffs, and modest demand for battery-electric pick-ups.
The hybrid ute will form part of eight hybrids Kia plans to sell by the end of the decade.
It will drop the Niro from its global line-up after the current generation, and complement the remaining Sportage, Sorento and Carnival hybrids with Seltos small and Telluride full-size hybrids in 2026.
Due in 2027 is a hybrid version of the K5 sedan sold overseas, ahead of a hybrid K4 small car in 2028 – likely to come to Australia – and the pick-up in 2030.
The Telluride three-row family SUV not sold in Australia is also in line for range-extender power.
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Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
