Up until now, Kia has produced electric SUVs, sport sedans, and dozens of other kinds of conventional cars — but Kia has never produced a truck with a bed. That’s going to change in 2025, when the company finally reveals its first pickup: a midsize truck called the Tasman.
It remains unclear if the Kia pickup will come to America, however. Right now, the Tasman is confirmed only for a “phased global launch in 2025.” Kia says in a press release that the new truck will go to “markets such as Korea, Australia, Africa, and the Middle East,” but makes no mention of the U.S. yet. Both the name and the camouflage used on the truck in its first photos are inspired by Australia, where it will be sold to locals in a competitive field of ‘utes and pickups.
Unlike the crossover-based Santa Cruz built by sister company Hyundai, the Tasman seems to be a true body-on-frame truck. A video showing a world-first walk-around of the truck shows the design under the vehicle’s camouflage to be close to production, down to full-sized side-view mirrors with cameras or sensor. The video also shows a split tailgate, integrated steps for bed access, and a decently-sized bed for a relatively small truck.
Other body styles may become available, but so far, the truck has been seen only in crew cab guise. Based on initial photos from Kia Australia that feature it covered in a wrap by artist Richard Boyd-Dunlop, it appears boxy and blocky, even by the standards of a modern truck — more like the perfect three-box designs of the late ’90s than the bulging, rounded half-tons seen today. Given its list of target markets, the Tasman should compete against popular less-than-half-ton trucks not sold in America like the Toyota Hilux and the Volkswagen Amarok.
The truck could still come Stateside, though. A video posted in April shows a Tasman testing in California, although that could have simply been a strategy to get the Kia pick-up to ultra-hot Death Valley for heat testing. Separately, an electric Kia pick-up has been seen testing in California. The brand has plans for at least two electric pick-ups, which may come to the U.S. even if the gas-powered Tasman does not.
Initial markets will see Kia’s mid-sized truck in 2025. Americans may have to either wait longer… or accept that the Kia with a bed is not coming to our dealerships any time soon.
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Source Agencies
