Kia is looking to enter the World Rally-Raid Championship in 2026, doing so in partnership with X-raid Team. Saudi reporter Ibrahim Al-Zubaidi broke the news on Tuesday, citing “reliable sources at one of the bivouacs” during the 2025 Dakar Rally.

The South Korean manufacturer might not be known for motorsports but is no stranger to it, let alone Dakar and cross-country rally. In 1993, ahead of its production for consumers and becoming Kia’s flagship SUV, a “prototype” Sportage entered the Paris–Dakar Rally with Andy Fowkes and Geoff Tunnard as drivers and prep work by Vern Schuppan’s old World Sportscar Championship team; Fowkes retired from the race while Tunnard finished 20th.

Two years later, Sportages placed 1–2 in Class 3I at the 1995 Baja 1000 courtesy of John Holmes and Wayne Cook.

At the turn of the millennium, Kia ran a Dakar team with American off-road legend Curt LeDuc and current Sonora Rally director Darren Skilton, whose Sportages respectively finished 41st and 56th at the 2000 Dakar. LeDuc improved upon his finish the following year with a 39th.

When the Dakar moved to South America in 2009, Wouter van der Beek placed 45th in a Sorento. Unlike the Americans, his Kia was not factory backed.

Nowadays, Kia America is a sponsor of the all-women Rebelle Rally. Since 2022, the U.S.-based division has fielded a modified Kia Telluride X-Pro in the race’s X-Cross category. Verena Mei and Kendra Miller finished fourth in class with the Telluride at the latest edition.

X-raid currently competes in the W2RC’s Ultimate and Challenger classes with the Mini and Yamaha, respectively. While the former mainly uses diesel engines, X-raid introduced the gasoline-based Mini JCW Rally 3.0i last September, which Al-Zubaidi’s report noted has generated interest from Kia.

“Although his father, Grégoire de Mévius, holds a stake in the Overdrive team, the decision aimed to acclimate (Guillaume) de Mévius to the X-Raid team environment and the petrol-powered Mini vehicle as part of the team’s long-term plan to transition to a new Korean car set to compete in the global championship,” wrote Al-Zubaidi.

“The highly anticipated Korean car is expected to be unveiled later this year, marking a significant step for Kia in expanding its presence in motorsport, particularly in rally-raid competitions.”

Featured image credit: Kia America