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Strip away the camouflage, and that is what Kia’s long-awaited dual-cab ute will seem like when it launches in 2025.
Whereas beforehand spied examples of the Kia Tasman have been mules, carrying cobbled-together sheetmetal borrowed from the Mohave SUV, this one noticed by Korean spy video outlet Woopa TV seems to be carrying manufacturing sheetmetal.
Moreover, fellow Korean outlet New Autopost has printed a set of spy pictures.
It’s fairly a bluff, boxy physique for the model’s first dual-cab ute, with extra upright styling than many rivals, accentuated by the vertically oriented headlights rapidly turning into a signature Kia design cue, in addition to a tall greenhouse.
The rear bumper options an built-in step, á la the Ford Ranger, to permit simpler entry to the bathtub.
Whereas the dashboard is closely camouflaged, the centre console is basically undisguised.
We are able to see a moderately traditional-looking gear shifter, a begin button, in addition to a wheel for choosing which two- or four-wheel drive mode to have interaction. This consists of an automated four-wheel drive mode appropriate for on-pavement driving, as seen in rivals just like the Mitsubishi Triton.
Referred to internally because the TK, the ute might put on the Tasman nameplate which Kia has trademarked regionally.
Kia confirmed final 12 months it was benchmarking the Tasman towards the Ford Ranger, Volkswagen Amarok, and Toyota HiLux, significantly when it comes to payload and towing capability figures – a 3500kg braked towing capability determine, subsequently, appears probably.
It’ll provide a diesel engine, and we’d wager all fashions will characteristic leaf-spring rear suspension.
As to what diesel engine it is going to provide, that’s unclear. Kia at present affords a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel 4 in its Sorento and Carnival, providing 148kW of energy and 440Nm of torque.
Whether or not the corporate will goal the Ranger and Amarok with an non-compulsory six-cylinder powertrain is unclear.
The body-on-frame Mohave SUV comes with a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6, nevertheless it’s getting on in years. Nonetheless, it meets Euro 6 emissions requirements, and pumps out 189kW and 560Nm – near the V6 Ranger and Amarok’s 184kW/600Nm outputs.
The GV80 from fellow Hyundai Motor Group model Genesis has a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel inline six, however the engine has simply been discontinued and no additional purposes for it have been confirmed.
Kia is focusing on 10 per cent of the sunshine business car market with the Korean-built ute. That’s slightly below the place the Isuzu D-Max, Australia’s third best-selling ute, sits when it comes to market share.
Given Australia’s love of utes – and the relative absence of them in Korea – Kia has been utilizing our market as a testing floor.
Kia Australia product planning boss Roland Rivero stated final 12 months “a number of guests have made the journey” to Australia to expertise rivals and native situations.
A “substantial” quantity of labor on the ute has been accomplished in Australia, he stated, “although quite a lot of work is able to go”.
“It’s not completely different to some other new R&D challenge, so whereas it’s evolving, it’s additionally versatile,” stated Kia Australia journey and dealing with engineer Graeme Gambold.
Kia stated final 12 months it isn’t engaged on an SUV counterpart, which might rival the likes of the Ford Everest and Isuzu MU-X and exchange the ageing Mohave.
The Tasman isn’t the one ute Kia is engaged on, with an electrical ute additionally in improvement that’s geared toward markets just like the US.
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