Dive Brief: - In its 2030 mid- to long-term strategy update released Thursday, Kia Corp. confirmed the future launch of a body-on-frame pickup truck with hybrid and range-extended EV versions, as one of the centerpieces of U.S. sales growth by 2030. - Kia aims to top 1 million annual sales and claim a 6.2% market share in the U.S. by then, with a focus on strengthening SUV volume and doubling its lineup of hybrid vehicles to eight. Globally it aims for 1.1 million annual hybrid sales by then, by expanding the global lineup of hybrid models to 13. - The company has again lowered EV targets. It now aims for 1 million EVs by 2030, down from 1.6 million by 2030 just two years ago. Other targets included the rollout of an urban autonomous vehicle starting in early 2029 and a fully software-defined vehicle by late 2027. Dive Insight: Last year, Kia clarified that the upcoming U.S.-bound pickup would be a midsize truck and emphasized that the truck won’t be a version of the Tasman, a body-on-frame pickup offered in Australia, the Middle East and other markets. Now with powertrain details and Kia’s consideration of the model at the center of U.S. growth, it's looking like a potential rival to the Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger, and Chevrolet Colorado. Kia has been considering the idea of a pickup for the U.S. market for years. In 2022 Kia presented a broad EV product plan that included a dedicated electric pickup truck set to arrive by 2027. But in the time since, as the EV market has changed, the electric-truck project appears to have been sidelined. The Kia announcements broadly build on a 2026 business plan presented in March. There it detailed “flexible market strategies” for the U.S. to address tariffs, regulatory changes,