In a presentation outlining its business plans for the remainder of the 2020s, Kia has announced its upcoming AutoMode self-driving car technology, a new electric pickup truck that will go on sale by 2027, and that it will build the pickup and electric SUVs in the U.S.
Additionally, just a few years from now, all new Kias will have connected car technology with new Feature on Demand over-the-air update capability. By 2030, Kia also expects to increase battery energy density by 50% while shaving costs of the system 40% and predicts that by the end of the decade more than 75% of Kias sold in North America will have an "eco-friendly" drivetrain.
Intrigued? We'll share everything we know below.
What the truck, Kia?
Picking through the details announced at Kia's 2022 CEO Investor Day event, the addition of an electric pickup truck to the automaker's product plans is the big news. Previously, Kia said it would have 11 new electric vehicles on sale around the world by 2026, and now the plans call for 14 EVs by 2027, including the truck.
Since the Kia electric pickup is a late addition, expect it to arrive closer to the end of the automaker's planned product blitz, which calls for two new EVs to debut each year starting in 2023. Following the recently introduced 2022 Kia EV6 crossover, the next ones expected to arrive in the U.S. are a redesigned Niro EV and a full-size SUV called the EV9. Kia would likely base the upcoming truck on the EV9's platform.
Additionally, Kia says it will locally build EVs for its various global markets. As an example, it cited America's preference for SUVs and pickups when it confirmed that production of electric versions will start in the U.S. in 2024.
Future Kias will drive themselves – eventually