Kia commits to two all-electric utes by 2027

Friday, 4 March 2022

Kia has revealed its take on a large all-electric SUV - the Concept EV9.

Kia has finally revealed plans for a global ute, and it will be fully electric. Only problem is, it might not be here for a few years yet.

The news came as part of Kia’s updated 2030 roadmap, which also promised annual sales of four million units by next decade, with more than half of those being electrified models.

To get there, Kia will launch two battery-electric vehicles per year to a total of 14 by 2027, up by three from its last plan.

Kia has officially confirmed plans for two new electric utes by 2027.

Two of those will be utes – “a dedicated electric pickup truck and a strategic model for emerging markets.” That sounds like one will be a smaller, cheaper model while the other will compete with traditional players like Toyota, Ford and Mitsubishi.

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The LDV T60 EV is currently the only option for those wanting an electric ute.

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Kia is also planning an entry-level electric model, probably a small SUV of some sort.

The brand is offering precisely zero information on either ute, but it could be based on the EV9 large SUV, set to be the brand’s flagship electric vehicle.

Set to arrive in 2023, the EV9 will hit 100kmh in five seconds, go for around 540km on a full charge, and supports fast charging to the tune of 100km of range added in six minutes.

We’d expect Kia to eke out a bit more range for the ute, considering it needs to be able to tow respectable amounts, which can cut ultimate range quite drastically.

Rivals Ford and Toyota don’t have plans to introduce an electric ute until well into the second half of the decade, if not later, so an early Kia e-ute could enjoy a head start in the market. The only other electric ute currently confirmed for New Zealand is LDV’s EV T60, which is launching in the second half of 2022.

The EV9 will also feature OTA (Over the Air) and FoD (Feature on Demand) services that will allow customers to selectively purchase software functions. In addition, it will be the first model to be equipped with Kia’s new AutoMode autonomous driving technology.

“By 2026, all new models launched in major markets will be available with AutoMode autonomous driving technology,” Kia said in a statement.

Kia projects that over 80 per cent of its BEV sales in 2030 will come from Korea, North America, Europe and China, with BEVs taking a 45 per cent share of total Kia sales in these major markets.

In total it wants to sell 807,000 electric units in 2026 and 1.2 million in 2030 – a 36 per cent increase from the 2030 EV target announced during last year's CEO Investor Day.