The Ford Maverick has been a smash hit since launching for the 2022 model year, which makes it somewhat surprising that other automakers – aside from Hyundai and its Santa Cruz – continue to ignore the red-hot compact pickup market. However, several of those companies have been rumored to at least be exploring the idea of entering the compact pickup market, including Kia, which debuted its very first pickup of any kind – the mid-size Tasman – last October. However, a new report now claims that it isn’t happening.
According to Australia’s Drive, Dong Hoon Kang, the Vice President of Kia’s Mid-Large Sized Vehicle Chassis Engineering Design Center, had a simple response when asked if the company was working on a unibody platform that might be used in a future small pickup – “no.” “We’re banking on Tasman. We are happy and confident with Tasman, and we want to stick to ladder frame,” Kia Australia general manager of product planning, Roland Rivero, added.
It’s certainly a fair question given the fact that the Santa Cruz is essentially a pickup version of the Tucson, which also shares quite a lot in common with the Kia Sportage. Regardless, it doesn’t seem as if Kia is interested in creating its own version of that small pickup and perhaps competing with the Maverick in select markets. The compact Blue Oval pickup will likely face additional competition in the future, however, as Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis recently admitted that he’s interested in adding something like it to that brand’s lineup.
Then there’s Toyota, which just confirmed that it’s working on developing its own Maverick rival, which will ride on a unibody platform and pack a hybrid powertrain option, just like the Ford hauler. As far as timing goes, this new Ford Maverick fighter likely won’t be ready for roughly two years (fall 2027, according to this report), but Toyota estimates that it could sell upwards of 100,000-150,000 units annually, regardless.
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