We’ve known for a couple years now that Kia is working on multiple pickup trucks — two different EV pickups, and a midsize body-on-frame internal combustion truck for markets like Australia. Thanks to a new video from South Korean YouTube Channel Woopa TV, we’ve got our best look yet at the latter truck in its production form. Likely called the Tasman, Kia’s first pickup should debut later this year and might even come to North America.
In previous spy photos the Tasman prototypes have mostly used parts from the Mojave, the body-on-frame SUV that was briefly sold in the U.S. as the Borrego which is still on sale in Korea. But this new camouflaged truck has a totally unique front end and body that better aligns with Kia’s latest design language, and it looks awesome. To get a sense of the size, those wheels are 17s, and the truck will be positioned against the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux.
Through the camo we can see big vertical headlights, like those of the facelifted Sorento and electric EV9, and the Tasman’s grille is huge and has a pretty open design with vertical slats. It has really boxy fender flares and a nicely chamfered hood, and the windshield is very flat and upright. This Tasman has a double cab layout with a fairly short bed, which will probably be the only body style available. The greenhouse’s design is cool, with a kicked-up C-pillar and nice window lines, and the rear window and bed look traditional.
While the interior doesn’t look completely final — the C-pillar trim certainly is still a prototype part — there’s still a lot of details visible. The door panels are strictly designed with straight lines and edges, and it looks like there’s a good amount of rear-seat room and a nicely padded bench seat. The center console has a traditional T-shaped shifter and rad knurled switches that control the four-wheel-drive system and the stability control or drive modes.
Speaking about the Tasman last year, a Kia Australia spokesperson said the truck would “be highly capable and fit for purpose.” Rumors have pointed to it getting a 2.2-liter turbodiesel engine and the choice of automatic or manual transmissions, at least in Australia and Korea. Kia also might sell the Tasman in Europe and even North America, including the U.S., where it could get the twin-turbo 3.3-liter V6 from the discontinued Stinger. The Korean Car Blog says Kia is targeting around 120,000 sales annually.
When Kia first talked about its two EV pickup plans in 2022, it said that one would be a “dedicated EV pickup” for emerging markets and the other would be an entry-level EV pickup — and that both would be built in the U.S. starting in 2024. Those plans could have changed since then; maybe the Tasman will also be available as an EV, or the internal combustion ones will also be built here? We don’t know yet, but the Tasman should make its debut later this year and enter production in early 2025.
