Tariffs Are Killing Any Chance of Kia's Pickup Truck Coming to the U.S.

Cars and Tariffs

There are heaps of cars that we wish were sold here, but regulations prevent that from happening for the most part. However, tariffs have made it harder for automakers to bring in products they believe will sell well in the US.

Of course, it's not the first time tariffs have blocked cars from coming to the country. The Chicken Tax is a prime example of how it's still a deciding factor in the light truck market. But today, there are more tariffs being imposed on cars made outside the country, throwing some automakers' plans into disarray.

You Can Forget About the Tasman

The Tasman has been in the headlines a lot in recent weeks. While it's not really flying off showrooms in Australia, the US could be its saving grace. Unfortunately, the chances of it coming to America are becoming slimmer and slimmer.

Speaking to Car and Driver, Kia America vice president of marketing Russell Wager explains that the Tasman will be slapped with a heap of taxes even before it lands on American soil. As it's a light truck built in South Korea, not only will a 25 percent chicken tax be imposed on it, but the tariffs add another 25 percent. Of course, the workaround is to build the Tasman in the US, but that's a whole heap of hurdles Kia has to jump to make it happen.

The executive said that automakers can't absorb the additional tariffs to keep prices competitive. He added that raising the prices does help, but he's observed that companies that have done so have experienced a sales drop. It's a tough balancing act, and it's becoming harder to make a decision without a resolution in place.

Kia's Indefinitely Delayed EV

Kia is one of the many companies that have had to rethink what models they will bring in due to said tariffs. There's the electric pickup, although that might be more of the market not being too receptive towards battery-powered trucks.

But one model that's indefinitely on hold is the EV4. It was introduced earlier this year, and it's now on sale in its home market of South Korea. There were plans to bring it to the US, but Kia told Autoblog earlier this month that its launch is on "temporary hold." The main source of contention is that the EV4 is its country of final assembly.

View the full article