Leaked Kia document hints at Tasman fix-up – and EV7

The Kia Tasman isn't being left to fend for itself. A leaked internal Kia document says the Korean brand is looking at ‘product improvements’ for its polarising ute, along with ‘an expansion of derivative models’ – which almost certainly means a Ford Everest and Toyota Prado rivals.

Translation: help is on the way.

The file, reportedly from Kia's Employment Stability Committee and published by The Korean Car Blog, sets out production plans for 2028 and 2029 at Kia's factories in Korea.

The Tasman has had a rough first year in Australia. Kia launched it with a 20,000-a-year sales target and plenty of swagger. "That's the number we have to get,"  then-CEO Damien Meredith said at the time.

Things didn't go to plan. By the end of April 2026, the Tasman had found just 1658 buyers. A month later, Kia cut prices by up to $13,000.

Meredith didn't dodge it. "We know what went wrong. Now we have to work out what we have to do to right it," he said.

He also made it clear that "nothing's off the table" as Kia looked for ways to grow the Tasman's volume, including a possible PHEV to take on the BYD Shark 6.

Dennis Piccoli took over from Meredith as CEO on June 1 after serving as COO. Late last year he dialled back the expectations: "We're not racing towards this 20,000 … we've always been about consistency and growing."

The Kia Tasman has chalked up 3998 sales YTD, up 28.3 per cent year-on-year, a solid trajectory for the newcomer in a cut-throat segment.

But there’s still a mountain to climb: Toyota has shifted 37,466 HiLux 4x4s alone, more than 10 times the Tasman 4x4’s 3585.

The "derivative models" line is the interesting part of this latest intel out of Korea. Kia has been studying a ladder-frame SUV based on the Tasman to take on the Prado and Everest. Local chassis engineer Graeme Gambold once said that one could be discussed openly "three years down the track".

The Tasman isn't the only Kia in the leak.

The Gwangmyeong plant will build the next-gen Carnival Hybrid from 2028, followed by a hydrogen Carnival by 2029. That would be Kia's first production fuel-cell car, probably using tech from the Hyundai Nexo.

The Sorento will get a full fifth-generation renewal as a hybrid in 2028 – not a second facelift as the Gwangju factory in South Korea will build the all-new Kia EV7, which slots between the EV5 and EV9, plus an updated Bongo truck.

The Hanam plant will stop making buses and switch to military vehicles, according to the dossier.

Kia has already ruled out an early facelift for the Tasman, so these improvements probably won't arrive in a hurry.

Executives had previously said the ute has a 10-year life cycle but it appears as though we could see a dramatically different-looking Kia Tasman by late 2027 ahead of a launch in 2028.

Given how fast things are moving in the Aussie new car market right now, there could be half a dozen new ute rivals from China by the time the Tasman undergoes cosmetic surgery.

*AI generated lead image.

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