Hyundai-Kia said on Thursday it had shelved plans to produce a pickup truck in the United States amid concerns surging oil prices will hit demand for gas-guzzling vehicles.Hyundai Motor Group had planned to produce mid-sized trucks at subsidiary Kia Motors Corp’s new factory in Georgia to make inroads to the world’s top pickup truck market.
“We have an interest, but because of high oil prices, the light truck market has been declining. We don’t think it’s the right time to produce the truck; it’s not the right economic environment,” Kim Dong-Ji, Hyundai’s chief executive, told reporters in Seoul.
“Kia is well-adapted to make the pickup truck and so we investigated the possibility while building the Georgia plant. However, with this economic environment, we were forced to give up these plans,” said Kim, according to spokeswoman Song Meeyoung.
The plans may be reviewed when economic conditions improve, Song added!
Kia pick up concept:
May 9th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
im happy that they didnt do it cos it would have hurt its image of being youthful and sportyness and it would have been a waste of money for kia.
May 9th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
Looking at the concept truck, I don’t think having built it would have hurt its image of youthfull and sportyness since it looks pretty hip. I do agree, though, that it is the best decision to hold off for now on the truck for gasoline reasons. I’d like to see them put into production the Koup or Kee! Those are sporty…Whatever happanned to the JB Sport (based on the Rio?)
May 9th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Wow. You have no idea how many soon to be customers Kia just lost. There were 236 people in Traverse City on a waiting list for that truck. This is the dumbest thing Kia has done. Ever! You have no idea how pissed this has made several people.
May 9th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
I think it was good decision. 236 customers arent much with Kia selling in 1000s. You will see that number going down soon as demand for these go down. Seeing the sales of spectra and rio, Its obvious that people want smaller and low fuel consumption cars. I have no probs at all with this action.
May 9th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
That is a good idea. That extra money can lean more towards fuel cell and hybrids.
May 10th, 2008 at 3:14 am
Greg I work at a Kia dealership the most cars that are selling are the Spectra, Spectra 5, Optima, and the Rondo and they are trading in there big Trucks and Suv’s on them. 90 percent of the people that traded there gas guzzlers and bought a more fuel efficient car is because GAS prices. it may of been a list of 246 people in your town but its just a LIST they didn’t get there credit approved or sign any papers of buying it. So in the end maybe only a 100 of the people would of actually bought it. I capitalized a few key words to help you out you sounded like you were an idiot.
May 10th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
Ryan, which dealer do you work at?
May 29th, 2008 at 3:33 am
I have a Kia Sorento and I will be the first to buy the pickup. Its sporty and sharp looking and it wont ruin the image of Kia cars. This would be the best one yet.
May 29th, 2008 at 4:17 am
didnt you read the above article? it says there will not be a Kia pick-up. even the heading says that. the pick-up in the pics are of a pick-up concept called the mojave… anyway, you can buy the new sorento if you like or even better; the borrego.
June 1st, 2008 at 8:12 am
I have a Kia Optima and my son has a spectra which we helped him purchase. I also have a Ford Ranger that I will now keep as I was waiting for the Kia Truck. Very poor judgement by the Kia CEO to scrap the vehicle that a very large amount of people have been waitng for. I have been waiting for years.
A Rio may get good milage but it can’t haul very much. I fail to see how the gas mileage thing works in this case. A truck is a vehicle that is used to make money so it earns its keep. Not the case in the small people movers even though I like them as well I will never buy one. They are geared more for entry level cars and I need a truck replacement for my ageing Ranger.
June 1st, 2008 at 8:21 am
How about maybe a poll? This Truck looks like it would be a sales leader if produced it is way more stylish then the Toyota and the Honda. Even looks nicer then my Ford.
June 1st, 2008 at 7:04 pm
That really grinds my gears that they aren’t producing a pick-up.
November 4th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
I was waiting for a Hyundai Motors/Kia truck to hit the dealerships for the past 2 years. I have been holding off on buying a pick up anticipating one of these but now…I guess a Tacoma is the way I’ll go. Sorry Hyundai…maybe in 12 or 15 years when the Tacoma starts to run down I’ll come back.
November 4th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
o probs. enjoy the tacoma.
January 25th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
Just thought I would through my two cents in. I drive an F150, and we also own my wifes truck, a Sorento. The sorento has 95,000 miles on it and still runs and looks fairly new. I will keep driving the F150 until KIA makes a truck, I would buy one the day it became available. With the waranty and quality, a KIA truck would be extremely hard to beat.
February 18th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
With gas prices the way they are, maybe now is not the time for Kia to introduce a pickup truck. OR, maybe it’s the perfect time. The Borrego’s potent V6 & V8 engines are getting raves for their fuel economy considering its size and performance. And Kia’s base price would likely undercut its rivals by a few thousand… if there was a time Kia could potentially steal away diehard Ford, Chevy & Dodge fans, wouldn’t it be now ?? Those who want the pick up truck but are worried about gas & affordability ?? At the very least the Mojave could steal away Tundra and Titan sales … if they don’t think the Borrego is ill timed, I don’t see why this would be any different.
May 9th, 2009 at 8:03 pm
I never new kia had the balls to even make a truck. Now that ive seen it i so would have been the first cutomer to buy one. I dont give a damn about gas prices as long is its a sweet ride, i can live with out other things so that way i can purchase gas. I love the new kia mojave and they should really come out with it, i guarentee it will be the biggest selling truck out there.
June 14th, 2009 at 8:43 pm
My hubby and I have been using buy here pay here lots and rent to own. We were trying to help our credit but if you have ever done this, you know that after weekly or bi-weekly payments, you can barely afford gas anyway. I decided that since Kia had the limited lifetime drivetrain warranty, this was an excellent choice for our first set of real financed vehicles. I was going with the Sorento while the hubby was drooling over the concept Mojave, even though he is a die hard Ford lover. He was getting rid of the F150 dual cab guzzler for that beautiful Mojave. Now he will be driving the Ford till the doors fall off. Good job Kia. I dont care what anyone says, it would have sold with huge profits. Especially here in the south were trucks are the most popular. People around here need trucks for functionality but at the same time want the most stylish truck they can find, the Mojave was it. Gas prices around here are just as much as everwhere else, but on average, families are bigger, therefore they need bigger vehicles. Our only choices are 3 row seat SUVs or quad cab trucks, all guzzlers. The Mojave would have been excellent. Too bad!
July 31st, 2009 at 1:47 am
WELL I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED , AFTER FILLING OUT QUESTIONAIRE AFTER QUESTIONAIRE AND DRIVING A VAN HOPING THAT ANY DAY A TRUCK WOULD HIT THE MARKET SO I COULD TRADE IN MY GAS GUSLING 1/2 TON CHEVROLET ONLY TO FIND OUT AND BE SLAPPED IN THE FACE WITH THE NEWS THERE WOULD NOW BE NO CHANCE OF A TRUCK IN 2010. I AM SO DEPRESSED THAT I MUST EITHER CONTINUE TO DRIVE THE CHEVY OR GO DOWN THE STREET AND PICK OUT A NASTY TOYOTA!!!!!! COME ON GUYS I BRAG ON MY SEDONA AND ALL THE GREAT SAFETY FEATURES AND CREATURE COMFORTS AND HAVE HELPED TO STEER OTHERS YOUR WAY. WHATS EVEN BETTER IS THE FANTASTIC SERVICE TEAM AT VAN GRIFFITH KIA IN GRANBURY TEXAS WHO REALLY ARE THE ONLY ONES WHO HAVE TOUCHED OUR VAN!! I WANTED TO MAKE IT A FULL HOUSE BY BOTH MY WIFE AND I DRIVING KIAS. COME ON YOU CAN DO IT, THE CONCEPT TRUCK LOOKS GOOD. HELP US TRUCK JUNKIES GET FIX!!!!
TRUCK LUVIN TEXAN
JOE KOHR
August 18th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
I am a Kia dealer under the umbrella of the sole distributorship in Nigeria; The DANA Group. As much as shelving the truck maybe a bad idea for the US and the rest of Europe due to gas prices, Nigeria and indeed the rest of Africa is dying for a truck of its kind. In fact, the absence of same is why Kia will continue to trail behind the likes of Toyota who, by reason of their truck and buses still dominate the market. In my own understanding i believe the trucks have their own function fuel-guzzly( if there ever was a phrase like that lol) in nature or not. I believe Kia should key into this in and outside Africa.
October 18th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
i’m haider
from iraq and wish to buy kia pick up bongo 2008 or 2009 or 2010 full option full system .
i hope anyone could help me.
thanks
October 18th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
i’m haider
from iraq and wish to buy kia pick up bongo 2008 or 2009 or 2010 full option full system .
i hope anyone could help me.
email: haidertalib209@hotmail.com
thanks
January 13th, 2010 at 5:52 pm
I was just asking my exchange student(South Korean) if KIA had any trucks over there, think he said yes. Either way I was really hopeing that KIA would make a truck to stir things up and I like the concept one. I’m a child of the 80′s and I’m into all the futuristic looking interiors. I really need the financeability of a KIA but as a truck for working. It’s a bummer but you gotta follow your analysts cause they’re watching more important things that are balancing the whole company. Maybe one day they will pick it up again, except with newer technology like a hybrid or something. *heart breaking*
January 13th, 2010 at 8:11 pm
If it’s the youthfulness style that you other guys are worried about then you need to realize that change comes around and eventually you have to accept the style and patterns,not that it’s ALL better when it arrives-EX: hazard button on my sonata ’95 went out early, had to replace poor design or materials. Think about what your grandparents dealt wityh and got accoustomed too, now look how much it has changed. Things always change so embrace change in the automotive displays, cause otherwise you’ll just be frustrated. I like the old school stuff but my wallet doesn’t approve. I’m driving a 87 Ram that is no longer something i can throw money into, time to face the music.
February 15th, 2010 at 5:51 am
i own a kia optima i was waiting on the kia pickup so im disappointed . i will have too buy a ford ranger in stead i own a 98 ford ranger now and was hoping to trade it in on a kia pickup so[ by] [ by] kia you have made a big mistake
February 16th, 2010 at 2:59 am
The trucks that are over in Korea are work trucks. I personally think they are ugly, nothing like the concept truck in this article. It would be foolish for Kia to build a truck. Ford is the only one who is doing well in the truck market, even Toyota is having a hard time selling the Tundra, which is a great truck.
February 16th, 2010 at 5:47 am
At least the Koreans know what they are doing. Cab-over-engine designs are the best because there isn’t all of the wasted space up front for the engine.
February 17th, 2010 at 2:41 am
That’s a fairly common design Greg. My parents had a 1984 Toyota “van” and later a used 1988 of the same type. You can still see those around the US once in a while. Many of the Asian work trucks in the US are the flat nosed kind. Kia could sell those over here. Mitsubishi I think does, and since Hyundai/ Kia partially own Mitsu now, why not bring the trucks over here? This truck would have sold, you can see the people on this forum wanting one, now include all the people that don’t know about Kia-world.net and you’ve got a lot of people ready to buy the Kia personal truck.
March 16th, 2010 at 1:43 am
Dad is PRAYING for the soulster to come out as their small, pickup like vehicle but it looks like that wont even make it out. KIA really needs to wake up and realized that every american wants a hauler to take trash to the dump or haul lawn and garden stuff around. dad wanted to replace his E150 van with the soulster and i know that if they came out with the Mojave or that Sorento Crew pickup I would be FIRST in line to finance one. You can take it to the bank that there will always be demand for trucks because you cant put shit in a suv or Rio
Case Dismissed.
July 6th, 2010 at 9:15 pm
Yeah.. give me a PICKUP. I just bought the 30 grand Sorento and my Spectra (2001) is almost all rusted out. Wife said when it finally dies… its STILL under warrentee!!! so.. as I said.. I am now KIA Squared and I want to be Cubed
so.. Give me that darn truck already…I’ll buy 2
October 21st, 2010 at 5:12 pm
kia: re: pickup truck – I was sadden to read that you are not going to produce a pickup truck. This is a gross mistake on kia’s part; you will look back in a few years and realize your mistake. Your decision based on gas mileage is unfounded.
March 29th, 2011 at 5:45 am
Yes, there would be a demand in the USA for a compact pickup from KIA. Ford is cancelling the Ranger, the Nissan Frontier and Toyota Tacoma are no longer small and economical, they are now midsized trucks, and priced only a bit less than their big brothers. Mitsubishi? It’s history.. With a 6′ bed Kia would sell a ton of their small pickups to landscapers, pest control companies, painters, and Joe six-pack types who just want to haul their lumber, nursery purchases, trash, bikes, etc. and do not require or desire to drive a clumsy 4500 lb. man-truck vehicle to run do some Saturday errands.
June 17th, 2011 at 5:43 am
I agree that most pick ups are not gas efficient but the technology is out there now to make them gas efficient look at chev they have an 8 cylinder that only runs on 4 until you need all 8 use the gas effective methods that we now have and put them to use is an affordable truck that won’t leave you broke at the pumps
August 20th, 2011 at 4:40 pm
I love the bed fenders on this truck.
I own Dodge Ram with Hemi V8 5.7L engine that has MDS (Cylinder deactivation) to 4 when crusing. I only get about 13 mpg and it’s rated at 14/20.. Love the truck, but not impressed with MDS. Full size trucks are heavy and with only 5 gears those engines drink lots of fuel even with MDS.
Personally I’m waiting for the right fit and will trade it in for a lot less truck. I’ve thought about it.. and the specs on my dream truck are as follows:
- no longer than a midsized car
- 280hp
- only 4000lb towing / 1000 payload
- Small, short, high bed that opens into a 5 seater cab via a easy swing midgate.
- Rear window rolls completely down
- Small high bed open up to expose big trunk space for tools and spare
- Built in Headache rack to lead a ladder or surboard when cab is occupied.
- oh yeah.. thanks to a CVT transmission, engine deactivation and Kenetic brake recovey ( Hydraulic or Flywheel) 30+mpg City!
- 20k for base model
I’m waiting for the 2013 Dodge Rampage (lifestyle truck) or possilby the SCION A-bat.
These truck design and specs will change the landscape of compact trucks forever.. the problem has been that there little distinction in price and fuel economy between compactl and full size trucks.