Kia Tasman, Brand's First Pickup, to Globally Debut in 2025
The Kia Tasman, the brand's first C-segment pickup truck, will likely get a 2.2-litre turbodiesel engine that powers the Hyundai Carnival and Santa Fe.
By Kanika Sachdeva
Kia has revealed the name of its first C-segment pickup truck. Touted as the Tasman, the pickup derives its name from Tasmania, Australia's southernmost island state, known for its rugged terrain and the Tasman Sea. The Kia Tasman will make its global debut in 2025, and will go on sale in markets like Korea, Australia, Africa, and the Middle East. Priorly referred to by its internal name 'TK', the Kia Tasman is expected to feature body-on-frame architecture against Hyundai's unibody construction like the Kona and the Santa Cruz.
While not much is known as of now, Kia says that the Tasman pickup will combine work-focused capability with lifestyle-orientated versatility. In a teaser video released last month, the company offered us a look at a silhouette of the pickup, giving us design cues such as a boxy, upright stance and a high ground clearance.
Kia Tasman: Powertrain
Under the hood, the Kia Tasman will likely get a 2.2-litre turbodiesel engine that powers the Hyundai Carnival. The engine could come with two transmission options: manual and automatic. Also, there is a possibility that the company may offer a 2.5-litre turbo-petrol engine with the Tasman. Some market reports suggest that the Tasman will be available in 4x2 and 4x4 configurations. Upon arrival, the Kia Tasman will rival the Volkswagen Amarok, Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger, and Isuzu D-Max.
Expect more details on the Kia Tasman to be revealed in the coming months. The Tasman will be sold in international markets, but we haven't heard anything about its launch in India.
Kia: Upcoming Launches in India
Nevertheless, Kia plans to introduce the EV9 and the facelifted Carnival in the domestic market this year. The former, which won the 2024 World Car of the Year award at the World Car Awards, is Kia's biggest and most expensive SUV offered globally. Equipped with a 99.8kWh battery, the Kia EV9 delivers 379bhp and 700Nm of peak torque. Meanwhile, the latter gets a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel motor, which produces 200bhp and 440Nm and is mated to an eight-speed Sportsmatic automatic gearbox.
Apart from these two, Kia will likely bring the new Clavis SUV, spotted last month, to our market next year. Expect its global debut later this year.
