Sneak-peek of Kia Tasman ute coming soon
Kia’s first pick-up to break cover soon ahead of its Australian release in 2025The Kia Tasman ute is about to break cover – at least partly.
Expect a sneak peek of the 2025 Kia Tasman ute soon: That’s the word from Kia design boss Karim Habib, who says our first official glance of the crucial new Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger fighter is not far off.
“I think you’ll get a peek pretty soon,” said Karim Habib at the brand’s first annual EV day held this week in Korea.
While he wouldn’t detail what would be shown or when, Habib gave some other crucial insights into the dual-cab 4x4 ute that is being engineered to take on the likes of the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux.
Habib says the Tasman – a name that’s yet to be confirmed but is likely based on online trademark filings and internet speculation – will be an obvious fit within the Kia family.
He says the modern design theme making its way across electric SUVs such as the EV3, EV5 and EV9 will be leveraged for the Tasman ute.
“Our role as designers is to serve the brand and serve customers,” he said. “We design products for people to use… within the framework of our brand. So design has to have those attributes and that automatically creates a family look.”
While the Tasman will start off with diesel propulsion, Kia is also working on a battery-electric vehicle variant, which is expected to arrive a year after the first utes lob in Australia in 2025; so expect the EV around 2026.
Kia has said previously it plans to offer a broad range of models, from affordable workhorse variants through to better equipped off-road models. There could even be a high-performance model that could take on the Ford Ranger Raptor.
Kia is also undergoing extensive local testing and development – matching the HiLux and Ranger in being tested in Australia – to ensure it can cope with some of the world’s harshest terrain and most varied conditions.
The company expects the Tasman to be one of its biggest sellers in the Australian market, not only adding to the dual-cab options already available but also boosting Kia’s sales and possibly slingshotting it into second place on the sales chart.
Related: Kia Tasman EV ute to debut locally in 2026
Related: Kia ‘Tasman GT’ ute to target Ford Ranger Raptor
Related: First Kia ute could be called Tasman
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