What makes this such a spectacular website? Much of it comes down to the staffers commitment to looking at things from a different perspective. Any site can regurgitate a press release from the manufacturer of a new car; the Autopian offers deeper dives and more extensive nerd-level examinations of the design and engineering details. Another edict set by the great Jason Torchinsky: Do not be afraid to look at the absurd. This attitude came to mind a few weeks back when we heard that the company sometimes referred to as KN Motors was going to release a pickup truck. Upon hearing this news, the writers threw out some odd scenarios, one of which I couldn’t help but run with. Here’s how it went.
Small Trucks Are Big Hits
Little pickups are a hot market segment right now; the Ford Maverick is selling well, RAM has shown teasers of a small pickup, and there’s an upcoming Toyota small truck (allegedly called the Stout). So it makes sense for Kia to jump in on the fun.
Actually, Kia has already been there in some respects; the brand has over forty years of experience in making small-to-mid sized pickups, but they aren’t what you would expect. The oddly-named Kia Bongo truck has been produced since 1980; it’s a a small pickup in the cabover layout that’s always been quite popular in Asia:
It’s even available as a four door “double cab” (these images are a few years old, but trust me, the new ones are essentially the same):
In back there’s a very industrial bed (though, naturally, different rear boxes are available):
Jokingly, the staff asked if this would indeed be the basis for their upcoming new mid-sized truck. Of course it’s expected that the real midsize truck Kia will release is going to be quite conventional; something like a bigger Hyundai Santa Cruz, since Kia and Hyundai fall under the same corporate umbrella (It would be cool if the short-lived Kia Borrego mid sized SUV came back with the rear chopped off, but that’s not likely).
More than likely, a small Kia pickup would be a reasonably competitive truck that would fit right in line to be cross shopped with the Maverick and other similar offerings that appear on the pages of Consumer Reports. It’ll be something non-enthusiasts put on a list of three trucks to look at as they head out on a Saturday morning to showrooms see who will give them the best deal. That’s nice; it’s also really boring. What if I want something different in my little pickup? Can at least one manufacturer offer something that is a bit outside the box? (Though I realize unibody pickups are still new and novel; still, let’s switch some things up even further!).
Putting The Cab Out Front
Let’s say there’s an alternate reality where, as a designer, Kia is asking you to make the Bongo into a semi-valid small-to-mid sized truck entry in the U.S. market. Maybe they want to test the waters with the whole cabover thing with a limited investment before committing to a totally clean sheet of paper vehicle. This doesn’t seem like an easy task.
The Bongo was never a machine that made sense for North America, particularly in that it’s a bit too small to act as a commercial vehicle and rather unsuited to passenger use. Combine that with the fact that the even the largest available motors aren’t powerful enough to hold 70 up a grade, and it just doesn’t work stateside.
With the engine under the passenger compartment, one is reminded of the situation when Nissan imported its cabover van (creatively called the “Nissan Van”). With a larger engine than other markets offered to meet American tastes, unforeseen issues with heat buildup could cause fires and resulted in several recalls. When these recalls failed to fix the problems, Nissan purchased the vans back and crushed them.
“Our” Bongo pickup would not have these issues since it would be an EV; Kia already offers an electric version of this cabover in Korea. Here it is complete with its old-school telescopic radio antenna (you laugh, but I swear my old power antenna cars picked up stations further out of town than any shark fin car I’ve owned):
The cabover layout is pretty ideal for an EV; the whole three-box layout of a standard pickup that you’d see here in the U.S. was dictated by the old internal combustion engine and cooling system, anyway. Also, a cabover as an off road machine is also something the world needs a bit more of. There are plenty of military, commercial, and even competition cabover trucks in use out there, but there’s a lack of smaller consumer offerings.
A few years back, Jeep showed the Mighty FC concept to world. Inspired by the old FC “Forward Control” cabovers, the show truck was impressively different. Unfortunately, the concept was over twice the size of its tiny namesake 1950s truck, but nonetheless a Moab-capable overlander. Jeep didn’t pursue the idea, and if had been a bit smaller, I wish they had.
To me, the FC concept missed the whole point of the original one, where you got a tremendous amount of cargo and people space in a subcompact vehicle. [Editor’s Note: One thing people forget is that, while the FC is short, it’s very tall and very wide, especially for its era. -DT].
Kia Dares To Switch It Up
Here’s where Kia could step in. The length of the Bongo is surprisingly close to that of the Ford Maverick, though it has a significantly narrower width. The big difference, and the true party trick of the cabover, is that removing the nose that you’d normally find ahead of a windshield expands the cargo bed tremendously; the Maverick’s 54 inch long bed pales in comparison to the 86 inch length of the Bongo. Here’s a side-by-side comparison with the existing overseas market Bongo:
So the little Kia would provide large full-sized truck sized cargo capacity in a much smaller package. For “our” U.S. Bongo we’ll give it a longer wheelbase (push the rear wheels closer to the back) and pump up the track under flared fenders and side lower body trim that widens the whole truck; I’ve even given it a staggered track that almost makes it look like a little dualie. I’ve been to Tokyo and Taipai, so I get why the original truck is so narrow, but this is ‘Murica. Here’s the original again:
and our proposed US model off roader:
A stylized “push” bar up front updates the old body, while black painted trim around the side windows gives the impression of larger glass area. Snarky little devil, ain’t it?
What’s A “Brunk”?
In back, the industrial-looking bed is gone, replaced by a more stylized and cohesive looking rear cargo compartment. The cabover doesn’t have the old engine compartment area to turn into a “frunk,” but the Bongo has a trick up its sleeve. We could offer covered cargo space below the pickup bed in back- a “brunk” or under-bed-trunk.
The Honda Ridgeline has offered this kind of covered trunk, but in that truck the access door is the floor of the bed so good luck getting to it if the bed is full of cargo. The U.S. Bongo’s cargo compartment is reached by folding down a door below that tailgate, and the floor of the space could slide out like a drawer for easier access to items deep in. A roof rack gives even more cargo carrying capacity, and the tall seating means there is space under the rear seat for storage as well. I mean, the bed could even have a dump feature if we really wanted to set this thing apart.
The spare tire is under the side of the truck; an optional rear tire hanger (or cargo space tire carrier) would allow room for additional range extending batteries with the ‘distance package’.
Crash Cage In Plain Sight
The interior of the stock Bongo is understandably a basic, workmanlike cabin:
For “our” U.S. market model we’ll keep the inside rather austere and old-school but replace the switch and gauge panel section with touch screens, as well as a pod for the “gear shift” knob and 4WD controls.
Ah, but what about safety, or the lack thereof? I mean, to have the crumple zone of a frontal impact occupied by your legs seems like a bad idea. For the U.S. model, I’ve added a steel structure behind the “push bar”; the support beams go at an angle through the cabin but they’re covered up with a design that looks like it belongs. In this case, the bars are even partially exposed but covered as ‘hand grips’ in a look similar to what you might find on the console of Porsche Cayenne.
Plus, there’s a very prominent warning on the sun visor; this should be enough for legal, right? Right?
Could Americans Play With Bongos?
Sure, it’s dated looking inside and out, but with the cartoonish updates it’s almost like the Mercedes G-Wagen where they kept the basic look of the 1979 truck (which even wasn’t really that modern looking when introduced). Love it or hate it, there wouldn’t be anything on the market quite like it. You’d absolutely get a cult following for this strange thing (bongoplayas.org or something); I’d love to see a bunch of these funny looking trucks doing a club off road event. I’ve purposely stayed away from van variants, but it’s certainly possible. Yes, Mercedes Streeter, you could in fact remove the bed and add a camper with a sleeper extending over the passenger compartment; I believe that it’s already been done.
Certainly, this whole Bongo is really just a Slack joke taken too far (by me, again), but it did remind us that the cabover is something that should happen, and concepts surely exist within many manufacturers as we speak. However, the simple fact is that these concepts don’t exist yet while the Bongo is just sitting there right now, waiting for us to screw with it and test the formula quickly to see if it’s worth making a more modern equivalent.
Can’t we get some real product options in this expanding sector? There’s an ass for every seat, and I’m sure that posteriors for retro cabovers abound.
Kia Is Reportedly Working On A Midsize Pickup Truck With Some Really Weird Heritage – The Autopian
Make the base model just $25K w/a min. of 175 miles of range and I’ll order one tomorrow. 😉 I’d pay another say $1,200. for a dump bed. Leave the $50K version with twice the range and sub-5-second 0-60 times for someone else… I want the ‘little one.’ 😉
My main concern (never having driven or even rode in a foreign-market truck, kei or otherwise) is overall ride quality/daily usability. From what I gather, the Maverick is perfectly decent for running around town, with a ride that some reviewers have referred to as ‘almost car-like.’ Even if that’s somewhat hyperbolic, I can’t help but wonder if a Bongo-based vehicle would appeal to US buyers if it weren’t at least more-or-less equal to the Maverick in that respect. A truck that felt like a commercial vehicle probably wouldn’t tempt too many non-commercial buyers (though I’d still want to test drive it to be sure).
I always love the way anything cabover looks, and since Mavericks probably won’t ever be available with smaller cabs and longer beds, a cabover competitor with a significantly longer bed would be appealing.
KN motors? Are you guys completely blind? The new company name is “КИ”, which is “KI” written in cyrillic letters. There is no “N” in sight anywhere.
I’m staunchly one of the last defenders of the Knights of the Cab-Over Van, and even I have accepted they have basically zero future in the U.S. market. We over here (and in other rich/getting richer countries) buy vehicles more based on image and vanity than utility, and we also have plenty of space to sprawl out and park. More power for luxuries and biggitude is difficult to package under the cabin instead of in front of it. There is no room in this narrative for the ultra-practical and utilitarian.
There’s unfortunately reasons that even Toyota made the new HiAce a conventional cab in non-Japanese markets, and the last of the cab-over trucks and vans are relegated to the African, South America, South Asian, and Pacific Island markets.
People always worry about the crash safety of cabover designs, but the Smart Fortwo manages okay without much of a crumple zone to speak of. It’s a bit older now but proves it can be done.
I wish kei trucks were viable in North America, but sadly, there’s almost no way that they’ll ever meet safety requirements. The crumple zone is *checks notes* non-existent, which means the front end would have to be the most rigid structure ever to be put on wheels (which creates its own safety issues but that’s another discussion). The reason that commercial vehicles can be cabovers here is that they’re big enough to run over old grandma Gertrude in her suburban that she can’t see over the hood of, but got a 0.9% APR loan on. A kei truck on the other hand won’t fare quite so well…
I have seen some small cabover trucks used as runabouts for weed control or landscaping companies here in Canada. I don’t know if they are grey market imports or if there are exemptions for low speed small trucks.
If they’re super tiny, they are likely to be JDM Kai trucks. They’re about side-by-side in size, all utilitarian & cab over design to maximize usefulness. Plus the cabs usually have a/c. With 3 cylinder 660 cc gas motors, utility (3 of 4 sides fold down) & hydrolic dump beds and 4×4 as optional.
Frankly even as 25 yr. old imports with several acres I’d rather have one of these than a side-by-side
Well a heavy built front end would keep idiots from popping a wheelie when using the dump bed.
I’m all for cabover trucks and say bring it! I do have a bone of contention regarding the bed. Americans have no idea on how useful that “industrial” bed is in comparison to a dumb truck bed that only opens to the rear. I wish US trucks came from the factory with the drop side beds and a canvas bed topper. Oh how I miss my old German work truck.
The soundtrack to the future ad would obviously be “Apache” by the Incredible Bongo Band. Considering a potential controversy around the potential pejorative term “Bongo”, could a renaming to Bunga, Bunga in respect (?!) to the now deceased Silvio Berlusconi be an option?
I say Nothing Bad Ever Happens by Oingo Boingo or Its a Dead Mans Party and use Rodney Dangerfield as the spokesman.
The ‘Brunk’ is a thing in Australia. It’s known by a couple of names depending on where you are but to me it’s known as a Trundle Tray….
Some single and double cab VW pickups back in the day had that under-the-bed storage. One name for it was the treasure chest.
I like it, and it looks like it’d be great fun offroad. That accessible under-bed storage idea? Patent it. That’s genius!
I feel like the killer app for the brunk is a custom-fit ladder, so contractors don’t need racks above the roof and bed. Come to think of it, a pull-out ramp like on some box trucks would be good too.
Make it and I will take back by vow to never buy a kia again. There is a guy who drives a mini import truck by my house to work every day and me and all my neighbors stare with envy. My neighbors own big trucks, tractors and all sorts of fancy equipment, but something about these things!
So Kia, yes please do this. And make some with a dump bed like they do in the eastern markets. Fold down sides that aren’t 10 feet high! WOW what an idea.
I’m over here day dreaming along with everyone now. Fingers crossed!!
“..but I swear my old power antenna cars picked up stations further out of town than any shark fin car I’ve owned…”
You’re not imagining things. Shark fins are great for high frequency reception like GPS. According to a 2021 GM Authority interview with Tim Herrick, Vice President – Global Product Programs at General Motors, “The whip antenna is the best way for us to feed the [AM / FM] radio with signal,” Herrick told GM Authority. This is apparently particularly important for GM’s pickup customers, many of whom live in the countryside and prefer AM / FM radio.”
fun fact!
Finally! I kept thinking it was my usual the-old-one-was-better twisted mentality but it’s obviously not. I know those old GM cars with the windshield antennas were the same way.
Likewise why the F-150 retains its fender-mounted antenna.
There was a guy here in Brazil that had one and loved so much his Kia Bongo that he made a blog about it called “eu amo meu kia bongo” ie. “I love my kia bongo”.
The double cab came down here only as a lightduty 4×4 truck and I always thought it would be a great adventure partner.
http://euamomeubongo.blogspot.com/2009/07/primeira-grande-viagem.html?m=1
These are the cutest fucking trucks I’ve ever seen. Like adorable little chinless weirdos.
pupmeowmeow- I know, right? Crumple zones be damned. Hey, they don’t outlaw motorcycles do they? And this has to be safer than a bike?
I like this. Cabover design is a great way to keep size down, but retain full-size utility. Someone has already pointed out the Canoo and you noted it’s not actually a cabover as it positions the driver behind the front axle and uses the space as a crumple zone and frunk, but it still derives utility benefits from its near cabover design and looks great.
I was just looking at an 80s VW Doka and thinking how much I’d like to have one. Your design just emphasizes how simple it would be for Kia, or others, to jump on this idea. Wish I could say I think they will, but I have my doubts. Cars (and trucks) these days are like Marvel movies, they’re nearly all the same with just the characters switched around because, hey, it sells, so why try anything different?
Thanks for a peek into another reality in the multiverse.
I have a 90’s VW Doka… basically a dual cab AWD diesel version of the VW Eurovan. Owned it for over 21 years now…
“Electric Bongo” sounds like one of those shitty hippie jam bands.
You’re thinking of “Acoustic Bongo.” “Electric Bongo” is an experimental indie band full of band nerds who all play weird instruments. Theremin, saws, accordion, alto tuba, bass clarinet. Interestingly, no electric bongos, though the drum kit is a weird mix of electric pads, real drums, and buckets.
Mark- the facelifted/updated version would of course be Electric Boogaloo
I really like the idea of a kei-truck and don’t know why they never were a thing here except for the truck import tax, then why wouldn’t someone build them here. Buddy bought a 25yr import exception one years ago and loves it. Only thing I can think of is they don’t pass our regs and would need to be changed so much it isn’t cost effective.
Brian- I do dig Kei trucks, but if you look at the dimensions of the Bongo it’s much larger. In fact, it’s about the same size as a Maverick. We’re so used to seeing cabovers as tiny pickups that it’s hard to imagine them being a size up.
Kei trucks are a thing here, we call them UTVs or SxSs. The problem is people like them so much they cost a fortune.
Nah, those are just ATVs with a steering wheel and a roof. Or in some cases just a golf cart with a lift. There’s nothing space efficient or economical about them. I seriously don’t get the point of buying something the size of a car, that’s worse than a car, costs just as much as a car, but isn’t road legal.
When I was living in Jordan, I saw a TON of these! Bongos and their Hyundai brethren were everywhere doing every kind of job imaginable. My favorite thing about them is that the rear dually wheels are smaller than the front tires most of the time, so they all tend to look like they skipped leg day, but it means they can all have a larger and lower bed which is useful.
They also commonly had loudspeakers mounted on the roofs with a recording of the owner advertising his business – loudly, in arabic – so that as he drives through the neighborhood you can run outside and flag him down if you need what he’s selling. It’s like the ice cream truck business model, but for stuff like propane and drinking water, and instead of music it’s shouting at you in a language you don’t understand so it freaks you out when you’ve never encountered it before 🙂
As for the van versions, they were also extremely common and were often customized with extra chrome and fancy wheels. They were rad. They make popular family vehicles since seatbelt wearing is considered rude so they usually strip out the interiors anyway to make it essentially just a room on wheels where their kids can play and climb around unrestrained. Safety concerns aside, they seem pretty fun and I kinda want one.
awesomeaustinv- from what I understand it’s a vehicle that is available on every continent except for Antartica.
As many others mentioned for years, EV propulsion allows different body designs. Except for inertia on behalf of designers, engineers and consumers, there’s no reason an EV pickup truck NEEDS to share the same profile as an ICE pickup.
I recall an auto engineer explaining that seating the primary occupants halfway between the front and rear axles is by design for NVH and ride quality purposes, and is not entirely a byproduct of locating the engine and drivetrain where we’ve seen them in most vehicles for the last 100 years.
My point is, which I’ve made in comments in these pages before, it will take a roomful of Huibert Mees to design a cabover with the ride quality tolerable to consumers.
On the other hand, it would be handy to have a new generation of USB-compatible KNs around. (Said ruefully as a Kia Rio owner.)
Yeah ride is best if the h point is centered between the axles. A crown Vic is pretty much exactly centered. Most cars are further forwards.
No an EV solves ride problem
KIA Bonker? Because it’s a bonkers idea, and you would likely die if you bonk into another car.
You know, it could actually sell like hotcakes if they call it the Bonker, because the meme value would be great and teenagers would enjoy removing the K from all the badges!
I think we should change the name for the American version to the Kia Hi-Hat.
..in my Hi-Hat, with a souped up tempo.
I’m on a roll, it’s time to go solo
Rollin’ in my Kia EV
I sit over the wheels so you know I can see
Gunshots right out like a bell
I look in the brunk but all I got is shells
It’s a percussion instrument more widely accepted and used in America. Plus in a cab-over the seating tends to be a little higher up.
I’m seeing a glimpse of copper coloring in your rendering.
It started out as a joke.
What better way to end a joke than with a drum sting?
Give me one with white steelies.
Let’s get this show on the road!
Introducing the Kia Hi-Hat.
Ba Dum Tssss
Kei-a?
Please let them call it the Bongo.
Teenagers everywhere would enjoy removing that last o from the badge!
Build it. Build all sorts of cabovers, please. I really want the Canoo and/or Telo EV pickup to come to fruition, but I don’t expect they have much chance. Kia could pull it off.
Drew- glad you’re down with the idea. By the way, take a closer look at that Canoo truck. The driver sits way behind the front wheels, and all of the glass is just a big greenhouse where a hood would be on a normal car. So it really isn’t a cabover at all; it’s more like one of those ‘Dustbuster’ Pontiac TransPort/ Olds Silhouette vans.
That’s a good point. I would prefer an actual cabover, but the Canoo still looks like it’ll offer significantly better visibility than most pickups, so it’s a compromise I think I could live with. If they actually get it to market.
Hi! Canoo reservation holder here (there are DOZENS of us!). I am not one hundred percent sure that I will ever get a Canoo, or even fifty percent sure, but it seems that in the past couple of years they are pivoting towards fleet sales. In addition to a number of companies, they seem to have deals in place with the government.
So, although we may never see the regular Canoo for individual customers, I would bet we will see them on the road.
Famed man of mixed reputation Sandy Munro has a video about the Canoo. It is certainly interesting. It is a body-on-frame EV!
I dropped the deposit on the Canoo and the Telo. Pretty sure the Telo is a mistake, but I am playing the field here. Hoping somebody can get one into my hands.
I really like the look of the Canoo, but not going to hold my breath for them to delivery anything to customers. I think Kia could get the EV Bongo into US driveways faster at this point.