If you have been waiting for the Kia pickup truck, then we have some bad news. You might have to wait a little longer. Rumors about the Kia truck have been floating around for months, and the rumors might be the only thing that surface.

The Kia pickup truck seems unlikely

Once the Hyundai Santa Cruz began to enter the spotlight, fans hoped for a Kia pickup truck. Kia has been making hints about a dual-cab ute and about a larger option, such as a Kia Telluride truck.

But Damien Meredith, Kia Chief Operating Officer in Australia, shared that it’s probably a long shot now. But the Kia truck seemed to be given the green light back in 2020 for a potential 2022 launch. So what changed?

What happened to the Kia truck?

Meredith told Kia executives that they could probably sell 20,000 Kia pickup truck units a year in Australia to fight midsize rivals like the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux. Then they started to put a plan together.

But Meredith has been waiting for an update. He hasn’t received a definitive answer from the Kia headquarters. Every time he asks about the Kia truck, he is told that they need to wait and see.

This could mean that the Kia truck isn’t a high priority for now. But on a positive note, it hasn’t been officially scrapped. Executives just seem to have their attention on upcoming models such as the Kia EV9.

It’s possible that Kia can’t justify the resources right now as they focus on new electric vehicles. Meredith believes that if they would have planned it, then the truck would be here by now. Also, there’s no need to be disappointed. A lot of exciting options with alternate fuels are in the pipeline.

But the Kia truck still has potential. It could be more capable than the Hyundai Santa Cruz. The Santa Cruz shares the same platform as the Hyundai Tucson. But the Kia truck could ride on the new ladder-frame chassis.

What about the Kia Mohave?

While Australia wants a smaller Kia pickup truck, Americans were excited about a midsize option. The Kia Telluride truck or Mohave was expected to ride on a unibody platform, like the Honda Ridgeline.

The Mohave could use the same 3.8-liter V6 engine that’s in the Telluride. It pumps out 291 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque. But the Telluride can only tow up to 5,000 lbs, so we hope for a little more muscle.

When properly equipped, the Hyundai Santa Cruz can tow up to 5,000 lbs, and it’s a compact truck. So, the midsize Kia truck would need to be stronger. It also needs to be more rugged and capable of off-roading.

The 2021 Kia Mohave is like the Telluride, but it’s a little more rugged and not available in the United States. It just received updates for 2021, including updated tech such as a wireless phone charger and a larger infotianment screen.

Don’t give up on the Kia pickup truck yet. It could still arrive as the Kia Mohave. It might be pushed back to 2023 or 2024, but better late than never, right? We will keep an eye out for more Kia Truck updates. It’s not dead, just postponed.