Don' t Give Up On The Kia Pickup Dream Yet CarBuzz News Features New Cars Used Cars Sell My Car Shopping Tools Car Reviews Car Finder Compare Cars Best Cars Car Dealerships Used Car Reviews Car Advice Home News Don' t Give Up On The Kia Pickup Dream Yet
Don' t Give Up On The Kia Pickup Dream Yet
Dec. 08, 2021 2:11 PM ET by Sebastian Cenizo Render / 4 Comments Kia design boss Karim Habib is eager to do it. There's been talk of a Kia pickup for some time now, with the first reports of such a thing emerging around 2018. In the years since, the rumors have refused to abate, and we've covered many stories on why this is a good idea. Kia itself seems to be keen on the concept, or at least it was last year. But then last month, a senior Kia official in Australia said that it's "probably a long shot." It seems, then, that Kia has not yet quite figured out if it wants to go ahead, but according to an interview with Autocar, employees of the Korean automaker are very interested in making a Kia truck reality. CarBuzz CarBuzz The British publication asked design chief Karim Habib if he'd be keen on a Kia version of the Hyundai Santa Cruz to rival the likes of the Ford Maverick, and his response was very warm. "I'd welcome it with open arms," said Habib. "It would fit with our portfolio and the brand. In the pickup market in the US, there is a huge amount of loyalty to existing brands. But there are also new things opening up. So maybe there is room for another brand." In line with these comments, we've taken a crack at what a Kia pickup would look like with the brand's latest design philosophy applied. Using the Santa Cruz base, the design was adapted to take inspiration from the Sportage, which rides on the same platform. Ford Ford Ford While it seems most logical that a Kia pickup would be Santa Cruz-based, Kia has a strong presence in markets like Australia and South Africa too, and talk of a body-on-frame truck to rival the Ford Ranger garnered considerable interest. However, developing an all-new platform would be expensive, and as the age of electrification dawns on us, that sort of expenditure may not be easily justifiable unless the platform is suited to electric applications too. Taking advantage of Hyundai's R&D on the Santa Cruz simply makes more financial sense, especially when this is the brand's first real foray into the market. We hope to have more concrete news on the matter soon, but for now, it seems that we'll just have to wait for Kia to make up its mind. CarBuzz CarBuzz Source Credits: Autocar Join The Discussion
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Hyundai Santa Cruz Sebastian Cenizo Senior Editor Sebastian jumped straight into the workplace after high school. Various vocations in sales, logistics, and project management helped him buy and modify several cars over the years, while his passion for motoring journalism saw him contribute to local print media while running car enthusiast clubs. But in 2019, the opportunity to join CarBuzz arrived. Originally handling reviews of new cars, his love of the technical led to writing detailed blog posts on various aspects of car care and ownership. He currently handles news sourcing, writing, and editing, along with social media management and the clarification of patent lingo. In his spare time, he's either reading, driving, or looking to collect more BMW Performance parts for the E82 and E9X platforms. Contact Sebastian @sebz_tsc @sebz_7 LoginSign Up Home News Features Car Reviews Car Advice 2021 CarBuzz Awards New Cars Used Cars Future Cars Compare Cars Sell My Car Car Dealerships Buy Here Pay Here Used Car Reviews Popular Tags Cars # Video # TOP # Spy Shots # Reveal # Rumor # Auto Show # Supercar # Tuning # Car Culture # Industry News # Motorsport Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Make Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Car Type SUVs Crossovers Sedans Coupes Trucks Sports Cars Wagons Vans Hatchbacks Convertibles Small Cars Luxury Cars Electric Cars Hybrid Cars Future Cars By Price Up to $15K $15K - $25K $25K - $35K $35K - $45K $45K - $55K $55K - $75K $75K - $100K $100K - $200K $200K - $300K Above $300K Back To Top