The 2025 Kia Tasman is one step closer to its Australian arrival, with the South Korean carmaker detailing its Down Under development program.
Kia Australia has announced the Tasman’s local development – which saw the ute tested more than 18,000 times against almost 1800 criteria – will be documented in an online series called One More Round.
The first episode of the series will launch on July 22, with more to follow until October, ahead of the Tasman’s unveiling in the second half of 2024.
As Australia is expected to be one of the largest markets for the Tasman, Kia plans to launch the ute locally shortly after it goes on sale in its home market of South Korea throughout the first half of 2025.
While Kia is yet to confirm further details about the Tasman, prior reports have given us a good idea of what to expect from the South Korean-made dual-cab ute.
A four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine will power the Tasman, expected to be a 2.2-litre unit which is either closely related or identical to the engine offered in the Sorento.
Kia won’t launch the Tasman with a six-cylinder engine or hybrid and plug-in hybrid drivetrains, however these could debut further into the model’s lifecycle.
The Tasman will ride on a body-on-frame chassis, with disc brakes front and rear – setting it apart from the majority of its rear drum brake-shod rivals.
With the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux as benchmarks, it’s expected the Kia Tasman could match their 3500kg braked towing capacity and offer a payload around 1000kg.
Interior photos have also shown it’ll have a selectable full-time four-wheel drive mode, also like its rivals.
A five-star ANCAP safety rating is “non-negotiable” for Kia, due to many Australian fleets requiring the top score for the vehicles they own.
Kia has previously said it’s targeting for the Tasman to account for 10 per cent Australia’s light commercial vehicle sales, or around where the Isuzu D-Max currently sits.
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