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Kia Australia confirms a pickup truck is in the works

Reports continue to indicate that there will be a Hyundai pickup truck, but this bit of news is about the potential of a Kia pickup. After all, if Hyundai does it, why can’t its corporate cousin Kia get a slice of the pie, too? WeÂ’ve heard rumors of a Kia truck before, but this report is much more definitive about the projectÂ’s existence. Damien Meredith, the Chief Operating Officer of Kia Australia told CarsGuide that the Kia pickup is a go. “Work has begun,” Meredith says. “WeÂ’re talking about a dual-cab, a single cab. What weÂ’ve requested is the full gambit (sic) for the ute, and that (includes) a dual cab with diesel and petrol.” Of course, this is Kia Australia talking. ThereÂ’s no one suggesting that any Australia-specific Kia truck would make it to the United States, but itÂ’s intriguing to know the designers and engineers are on the job. We didnÂ’t previously know that there would be a Kia pickup, but now Meredith is saying it will likely be arriving around 2022 or 2023. The latest on HyundaiÂ’s pickup is that itÂ’ll be launching in 2020, but Hyundai hasnÂ’t confirmed anything yet. Meredith also touted that the Kia pickup wouldnÂ’t be a “lifestyle vehicle,” but more of a serious pickup truck. Would Kia actually make a body-on-frame pickup to compete against trucks like the Ford Ranger or Toyota Hilux in other markets? ThatÂ’s certainly nothing like what we think the Hyundai Santa Cruz pickup is going to be like. That's expected to be a unibody pickup, similar to the Honda Ridgeline in stature and drivability. The more we read into this, the more this pickup is looking like a body-on-frame utility vehicle for markets outside the United States. Kia could sell the truck in Asia, Australia and other markets where the international version of the Ranger and Hilux are offered. Will it ever see the U.S. market if this is the case? Probably not. Although the Ranger ended up here, it did so after substantial re-engineering. The Hilux and other trucks like the VW Amarok remain for other countries only. We'd expect the Kia truck as described by Meredith to be so as well. 

Kia Sorento and Pierce Brosnan make The Perfect Getaway for the Super Bowl

Automakers keep rolling out their Super Bowl ads online days ahead of the actual game, but the extended cut of Kia's commercial for the 2016 Sorento is probably the best of the batch released so far. The spot does a great job of combining action and humor into a tight package, while showing off the CUV in the snow. The ad, titled The Perfect Getaway Vehicle, stars former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan as he is pitched for the Kia commercial. Brosnan tries to imagine it all, but given a career mostly as a suave action star, he misunderstands the slightly more realistic style that the brand is going for.

Hyundai shutters engine development in shift to electric and hydrogen vehicles

Hyundai is quickly pivoting into an era of electric vehicles. Shortly after announcing it would halve the number of internal combustion models, it launched its first EV on its dedicated Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), the supremely enjoyable Ioniq 5. Now, as The Korea Economic Daily reports, Hyundai Motor Group, which includes sister brand Kia and luxury brand Genesis, has closed its engine development division at its research and development center in South Korea to put those resources into electric powertrain development. According to the report, researchers from engine design are moving to its electrification design center, but a few remain behind to continue to refine existing internal combustion engines. The powertrain system development center will become an electrification test center, and the performance division will focus on electric performance. The group has also established a battery development center, and the R&D Center will also focus on raw materials for batteries and semiconductors. In an email, R&D boss Park Chung-Kook told employees, “Now, it is inevitable to convert into electrification. Our own engine development is a great achievement, but we must change the system to create future innovation based on the great asset from the past.” Hyundai Motor Group is targeting one million EVs a year by 2025, and full electrification by the year 2040. In addition to the newly launched Ioniq 5, Hyundai is planning to launch the Ioniq 6 EV, based on the stunning Prophecy concept, in 2022, and weÂ’ve already seen spy shots of that prototype in testing. That will be followed by the full-size Ioniq 7 SUV in 2024, which was recently previewed by the Seven Concept at the 2021 L.A. Auto Show. Kia is set to launch the EV6 in 2022, and Genesis recently revealed the GV60 electric crossover, both of which will use HyundaiÂ’s E-GMP architecture. Genesis also recently revealed an electric version of the GV70 crossover in China. Of course, Hyundai is also invested in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, both commercial vehicles like its Xcient trucks, and passenger cars like the Nexo and the recently revealed Vision FK concept. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.