After proving itself as a purveyor of quality, unibody crossovers with the introduction of the Telluride, Kia apparently now has its eyes on the more rugged interpretation of "SUV" that is the body-on-frame truck.

Kia Australia product planner Roland Rivero specifically namechecked the Toyota Land Cruiser and Prado (essentially a rebadged, less swanky Lexus GX) when he spoke to Carsalesabout what a flagship SUV designed for Australia would be like. "Our desire, if we were to bring in an upper-large SUV, would be a ladder-frame execution. The Australian market, the way they look at upper large SUVs are looking into [Toyota] Land Cruiser or Prado territory and a ladder-frame SUV has specific capabilities, in off-road ability and towing capacity, that your monocoques just aren’t designed to deliver."

“If you did want to penetrate that particular segment, you’d have to have an offering closer to a ladder frame vehicle," Rivero continued. "Or if not, if it was alongside a large SUV, in that it was, say, built off a ute platform, they could achieve a similar result. So it’d be a nice to have if we had a ladder-frame SUV."

Kia's biggest current SUVs, the Sedona and Telluride, do not use ladder-frames and, more interestingly, neither does sister-brand Hyundai's upcoming unibody Santa Cruz pickup. Nevertheless, Carsalessays the Korean automaker's Land Cruiser rival will reach production around 2023. The publication also goes on to report that development has already been going on for "several years" and that the company has been using the Nissan Armada (or Patrol, as its known in other markets) as a benchmark.

Of course, nothing at this point is officially confirmed but if/when a "proper" Kia truck does indeed happen, expect all of the typical "proper" truck equipment such as two-speed transfer cases, locking differentials, 4x4 capability and a general sense of ruggedness not apparent in Kia's lesser crossovers.

Kia's new boss has detailed an aggressive, $25 billion plan to electrify much of its lineup by 2025 and change its brand image. Hosung Song, promoted to President in March, wants to move faster than parent company Hyundai into EVs and PBVs, or purpose-built vehicles, better suited to how he believes cars will be used in the future.

In an interview with Automotive News, Song said that Kia's "Plan S" will offer 11 electric-only models by mid-decade, comprising 6.6% of the global EV market share and generating 20% of Kia's own sales. By then, Song believes the total cost of ownership for electric and internal combustion cars will be about the same, as ICEs require more maintenance and fuel costs are projected to rise.

Not only that, but by 2026 Song wants Kia to sell half a million battery-electric vehicles, as well as another half-million hybrids, PHEVs and other "green" offerings. By 2027, Kia will have seven models powered exclusively by electrons. Then, by 2029, a full quarter of Kia's sales will be from EVs.As for PBVs, Kia describes them as vehicles specifically designed for ride-hailing services, as autonomous taxis and e-commerce delivery-bots. They will be used primarily in urban centers and feature autonomous tech, as cities around the world change the rules for cars and car ownership.

The new plans dovetail with Kia's desire to appeal to a younger customer base. However, Song told AN that he also wants to move the brand upmarket, which may conflict with the utilitarian, robo-taxi image that PBVs will foster.

Finally, ushering in this new era will be a revamped Kia logo. According to AN, Kia will dispense with the name-in-an-oval badge that has been in use since 1994. Instead, the new branding will resemble the stylized name, sans oval, found on the Kia Imagine concept revealed at Geneva in 2019.

As for the "S" in Plan S, Kia says that it stands for "shift," as in a shift "from a business system focused on internal combustion engine vehicles toward one centered on electric vehicles and customized mobility solutions."

Kia confirmed its global range of SUVs will soon include a Hummer-like off-roader developed primarily for military use. While the model will report for combat in South Korea, it might end up rock crawling in Moab.

Engineers are currently developing the truck, which is described as an open-top all-terrain vehicle (ATV), but they're not starting from scratch. Kia explained the model will be built on a frame borrowed from the Mohave, a civilian SUV that received comprehensive updates in 2019. It probably doesn't ring a bell because it's not sold in the United States, where the biggest member of the company's range is the Telluride. And yet, it's not entirely foreign. It's an evolution of the V8-powered Borrego introduced in America in 2009 and canceled for 2010.

Kia released a rendering that illustrates what the model could look like, and it depicts an off-roader which shares absolutely no styling cues with any member of the firm's current line-up. Don't look for friendly hamsters here. Boxy and tall, it's strongly reminiscent of the AM General Humvee, GM Infantry Squad Vehicle and the Toyota BXD10, which is hardly a surprise and almost inevitable. All of these vehicles were created by following the same basic guidelines.

What soldiers in South Korea will receive is admittedly of little interest to most American enthusiasts, but you might not need to travel across the Pacific to slip behind the wheel. Kia pointed out the lessons it learns from developing the ATV will help it improve the durability of its civilian models. Better yet, the yet-unnamed truck will spawn variants for different industries, including the industrial and leisure sectors. While nothing is official yet, the lucrative leisure segment's gravitational pull is what transformed the Humvee into the Hummer, and what turned the BXD10 into the BXD20, which was also called Mega Cruiser and sold in tiny numbers during the 1990s.

Kia expects the first ATV prototypes will be ready in 2021. Production will start by the middle of the 2020s.

What else is Kia sending to battle?

Simultaneously, the company is developing 2.5- and 5-ton trucks for the South Korean military. Unlike the ATV, they won't be related to series-produced cars built for commuters. Both will be built on a standardized platform to keep development and manufacturing costs in check, and they'll be powered by a 7.0-liter turbodiesel engine bolted to an automatic transmission. Bullet-proof variants of the 5-ton model will be part of the portfolio, too.

Looking ahead, Kia is examining ways its defense division can use new technologies, like hydrogen fuel cells, electric powertrains, and self-driving systems. Fuel cells could notably power emergency generators.

Kia recently filed a flurry of trademarks in the US that point to the brand expanding its off-road-oriented offerings. On November 22, the automaker submitted paperwork to protect Sportage X-Line, Sportage X-Pro, Sorento X-Line, Sorento X-Pro, Telluride X-Line, and Telluride X-Pro. Another application covered the design of the X-Pro badge. Car and Driver first discovered some of these filings.

Kia introduces its X-Pro badge on the 2023 Sportage as a step above the X-Line to offer customers a more rugged crossover. The upgrades include 17-inch matte black wheels with B.F. Goodrich all-terrain tires and multi-terrain drive modes with normal, sport, smart, and snow settings. It also has LED fog lights and heating for the windshield and washer nozzles. A two-tone roof is an option.

Sportage buyers can upgrade to the X-Pro Prestige that adds LED projector headlights, ventilated front seats, and an eight-way power-adjustable front passenger seat.

Pricing for the 2023 Sportage lineup isn't available yet. Deliveries begin in the first quarter of 2022.

It seems likely that the X-Pro versions of the Sorento and Telluride would follow a similar recipe as what Kia does on the Sportage. They would get components allowing for light off-roading, but the brand is not creating vehicles for conquering the difficult trails at Moab.

The Sorrento also already has an X-Line model. There was already a rumor of Kia introducing a Telluride X-Line with features like 20-inch wheels, a black grille, body-color door handles, and a high-gloss black finish for a variety of exterior parts.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office only began processing these applications on December 1. Generally, it takes months for the USPTO to grant a trademark. This suggests we wouldn't see these vehicles until mid-2022 at the earliest. Of course, Kia could be registering these names just in case wants to use them later.