2025 Kia Tasman rendered without camo

A week after it appeared in the first official teaser images, the 2025 Kia Tasman has been independently rendered in an effort to cut through the camouflage and reveal exactly what the Korean car-maker’s inaugural pick-up will look like.

Polarising would be one way to put it, with this computer-generated image from Russian website Kolesa.ru looking like a strange concoction of Jeep, LDV and Mahindra design elements.

We already know the finished product will look more cohesive than this digitally created one, but it’d be fair to say the Tasman will certainly carry a unique look when it debuts early next year, not least because of the integration of the headlights into the front of the contrasting wheel-arches.

No other ute on the market has adopted the sunken headlight arrangement to such an extent yet, and while the Tasman’s design will undoubtedly stand out in the ute market, its promised capabilities should thrust it right into the thick of the action – provided consumers approve of its looks.

A modified and uprated version of Kia’s long-standing 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel will deliver class-competitive outputs – think 150kW/480Nm (ish) – and be able to tow up to 3500kg.

An eight-speed automatic transmission will be offered across the range, but it remains to be seen if the Tasman 4x4 scores a full-time four-wheel drive system or a more traditional part-time set-up.

Either way, 4x4 and 4x2 drivelines and at least two body styles (single-cab and dual-cab) will be available – again in line with its competitors – with the former packing low-range gearing and a locking rear differential as per all the heavyweight players.

We’re yet to see much of the Tasman’s rear-end at this stage but odds are there won’t be any design revelations given there’s only so much you can do with the back of a ute, but Kolesa’s digital designer has gone out on a limb and suggested there could be more than just the usual vertical tail-light stacks.

A sexier GT version of the Kia Tasman, aimed at the Ford Ranger Raptor, is a chance to materialise down the track – as is a Ford Everest-conquering off-road SUV derivative – but both these projects remain under study, unlike the battery-electric Tasman that’s already well into development and due for release in 2026.

Mainstream versions of the Tasman, meantime, will launch Down Under in mid-2025 and camouflaged prototypes are already here and ready to make their way around the country, undertaking durability testing in all possible local conditions.

Digital images: Kolesa.ru

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