A Kia Pickup Truck? 5 Things We Learned From a Top U.S. Kia Exec
At the New York auto show we had a chance to sit down with Michael Cole, chief operating officer and executive vice president at Kia Motors America, to talk about what the brand is doing in the U.S. given the shift to SUVs. With Kia primarily known as a car brand in the United States, the Korean manufacturer has some work to do in the SUV game. Cole arrived in the U.S. from Kia Motors Europe in May of last year, and has already begun positioning the brand for success in this market. Here are five things we learned about Kia’s U.S. product strategy.
Focus on SUVs
Although he said there are no new SUVs coming stateside in the immediate future (no Stonic this year), Cole said the brand will be focusing the rest of the year on the newly launched Telluride, Soul, and the 2020 Sportage, which is getting a midcycle refresh.
“So, we’re very clear on our focus right now – introduction of Telluride, introduction of the new Soul, relaunching Sportage with the 2020 model year. And then we obviously move into the next step next year. We’ll go again. But that’s where we’re putting our focus right now while making sure that we keep the car lineup going well,” Cole said.
With Telluride in the portfolio, Kia wants to build its reputation and image as an SUV brand.
Soul EV Coming Next Year
With the Niro EV and Soul EV, Kia will have two key players in the electric game with good range. The Niro EV is just hitting dealers with 239 miles of range, while the Soul EV has 243 miles. Although Kia planned to introduce the Soul EV this year, it looks like the boxy hatchback will be delayed until next year.
“We’re focusing on the Niro EV right now. And we think we’ve got a great proposition in terms of a crossover with 239 miles of range at a starting price of $38,500 before all these rebates. So, we think we’ve got a really good position and a good opportunity,” Cole said.
No N Brand for Kia
Though Hyundai is getting all the love with new SUVs and a performance arm, Kia will not be getting a performance brand anytime soon. Cole said that Stinger has been a successful player in Kia’s brand image, and the new GT Line will help with that, as it expands to other players like Forte. But a true performance-oriented sub-brand is not in the cards.
Sorento is Staying as is…for Now
Although some of us thought that the Sorento would get replaced after the Telluride arrived, that’s not the case. Cole confirms there’s some overlap between the two, but Telluride is bigger, bolder, and more rugged compared to Sorento. Although Kia doesn’t have a two-row midsize SUV, there are no plans to launch one anytime soon. But if Kia changes its mind, the Sorento would occupy a tight space between the Telluride and a competitor to the Honda Passport and Chevrolet Blazer.
A Pickup for Kia?
With Hyundai Motor Group developing a pickup truck, we asked Cole if it was possible for Kia to get a utility vehicle besides an SUV. Although he didn’t confirm, he also didn’t deny it.
“Yeah, I think it is. I mean it’s a long way down the road. We think that there’s enough opportunity. We look at our core segments right now and we want to become a stronger SUV brand. We want to reaffirm our strength in the sedan lineup, and there are things that we still think we can do in those areas that offers us the best opportunity. Down the line, if we can tick all those boxes and say we’ve got this sorted and thinking about the electrification, and all of these other issues, could some sort of pickup be part of the future Kia lineup? It could be, but it’s not in our thinking right now. We’re focusing on what we believe to be the core territory for us: SUVs and cars,” he said.
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