CEO says a small Kia PV5 electric pickup truck concept could come to production based on the new modular PBV architecture. Kia unveils a lineup of all-electric commercial-grade body-swappable vans at CES 2024 this week. We are most interested in this PV5 pickup truck rendering which could be based on the PV5 chassis.
The core of the announcement has to do with a selection of all-electric small to midsize commercial PBV vans. This new lineup of vehicles can be configured to carry cargo or people. Future autonomous models are also being planned. The commercial van market continues to grow in the United States, so Kia could be very successful if they can bring this lineup stateside.
The company says that the PV5 van lineup could start at $35,000 for the most basic model. This is eye-opening news since a small-to-midsize all-electric pickup truck that starts near $35,000 would be a real game-changer.
We don’t have any detailed specifications at this time. We don’t know the power, battery size, range, payload, or most other details. Kia will release more news about this soon. The company expects to bring the first PBV vehicles to market within a year.
The PV5 pickup truck is not yet set in stone, but GM, Ford, Ram, and Toyota should take notice of this. An affordable new EV pickup truck like this could be as successful (if not more) as the current Ford Maverick. Ford sold nearly 100,000 Maverick pickups in the United States in 2023.
Here is a look at another small EV pickup truck concept – the Toyota EPU.
