As full-sized trucks are getting bigger and more luxurious, the compact ones are also growing in popularity. So should Kia take a hint from the Ford Ranger and offer something cool in North America?
Believe it or not, but the idea isn't new at all. Way before Hyundai thought about offering a pickup as a lifestyle vehicle, Kia made a concept. It's called the KCV-4 and it came out about 16 years ago.
It was supposed to be part of the Mojave family, so like a real off-roading SUV, and had a very rounded cab resembling the Chevrolet SSR, which was also built around that time. And since you might not believe us, we put some photos of the KCV-4 in the photo gallery.
In any case, the Kia pickup idea is making a comeback. Last year, the South Korean brand's COO for Australia said that a "double-cab bakkie" was coming in 2022 or 2023. And yes, that's probably Australian for a dual-cab pickup, although it might actually be some kind of killer man-eating bird (It's actually South African English for pickup, ed).
"Work has begun. We’re talking about a dual-cab, a single-cab - what we’ve requested is the full gambit for the ute, and that (includes) a dual-cab with diesel and petrol (options). When a light commercial range does arrive in Australia, I’d be confident we’d be looking around that 8-10% market share in that range. Great product, great pricing and a seven-year warranty - it’s a pretty powerful package," Damien Meredith told Car Guide at the time.
Rivals for the Kia pickup are supposed to include the Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger and Mercedes X-Class, that last one ironically having been discontinued. It's supposed to get both diesel and gasoline engines too.
While the Santa Cruz has more to do with the American, the two might still be connected. While the Hyundai pickup is supposed to be made in at the expanded Alabama plant, much of the development is going on in Korea, which is where this rendering popped up.
The local website KKS Studio made something that looks like a tiny Silverado with the fake of an Optima. They don't know when it's coming or if it will look like this, though.
We know how Hyundai and Kia like to make the same cars to share development costs. And new reports talked about the Santa Cruz possibly getting the new inline-6 3.0-liter CRDI. So that takes of the diesel part.
It was supposed to be part of the Mojave family, so like a real off-roading SUV, and had a very rounded cab resembling the Chevrolet SSR, which was also built around that time. And since you might not believe us, we put some photos of the KCV-4 in the photo gallery.
In any case, the Kia pickup idea is making a comeback. Last year, the South Korean brand's COO for Australia said that a "double-cab bakkie" was coming in 2022 or 2023. And yes, that's probably Australian for a dual-cab pickup, although it might actually be some kind of killer man-eating bird (It's actually South African English for pickup, ed).
"Work has begun. We’re talking about a dual-cab, a single-cab - what we’ve requested is the full gambit for the ute, and that (includes) a dual-cab with diesel and petrol (options). When a light commercial range does arrive in Australia, I’d be confident we’d be looking around that 8-10% market share in that range. Great product, great pricing and a seven-year warranty - it’s a pretty powerful package," Damien Meredith told Car Guide at the time.
Rivals for the Kia pickup are supposed to include the Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger and Mercedes X-Class, that last one ironically having been discontinued. It's supposed to get both diesel and gasoline engines too.
While the Santa Cruz has more to do with the American, the two might still be connected. While the Hyundai pickup is supposed to be made in at the expanded Alabama plant, much of the development is going on in Korea, which is where this rendering popped up.
The local website KKS Studio made something that looks like a tiny Silverado with the fake of an Optima. They don't know when it's coming or if it will look like this, though.
We know how Hyundai and Kia like to make the same cars to share development costs. And new reports talked about the Santa Cruz possibly getting the new inline-6 3.0-liter CRDI. So that takes of the diesel part.