Kia Tasman ute design is growing on potential customers, brand says
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Kia says customers are coming around to the Tasman ute’s unconventional looks – and prefer it in the metal over the photos – as it nears 20,000 expressions of interest.
Kia Australia says it has seen a “narrative shift” in opinions on the controversial styling of its first dual-cab ute, the 2025 Kia Tasman, due in local showrooms in July next year.
The South Korean car giant has been the subject of wide-ranging online criticism of the Tasman’s appearance, which designers have said was intended to represent “something new” and stand apart from rivals.
Australian Kia executives acknowledged the “commentary” in a media briefing last week, but said surveys the company has conducted since the ute’s late October reveal suggests it is starting to win over the public.
MORE: 2025 Kia Tasman unveiled – new Korean ute to upset Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux
Expressions of interest in the new ute have surged since its reveal – from 15 per day, to between 50 and 60 per day – for close to 20,000 in total.
“You’re all aware of the commentary around launch from an aesthetic standpoint, but we’re really starting to see a narrative shift in terms of opinions,” Kia Australia general manager of marketing Dean Norbiato told media.
“A lot of people, the more time they see it and spend with it, we are seeing a separation in opinion from the initial launch.
“We’ve done some customer research as well. We had a week-long research piece with the Tasman, and in terms of the feedback, we feel we’re confident from a position of overall sales volume targets we have with that model – the product and its specification – that we’re in a good position.”
MORE: Designer reveals why 2025 Kia Tasman ute looks so different
Kia has previously said it is targeting a 10 per cent share of the ute market, amounting to about 20,000 to 25,000 annual sales.
It would place the Tasman – depending on how many sales it can conquer from its rivals – as the fourth-best selling model in the class, behind the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Isuzu D-Max.
Norbiato said the majority of expressions of interest to date have been from private buyers, though he said “expression of interest is probably [typically] more private-aligned, as we’ve seen in the past.”
“But it’s starting to grow in that fleet space, especially as our fleet team get more involved as well.”
MORE: 2025 Kia Tasman aims to take a big bite from Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux sales
The Kia executive said few people have seen the car in the metal, but among those that have, the design is better received than by those who have only seen photos online.
“From what we’ve seen, people who have physically seen it in the flesh seem to have a different opinion from seeing one 2D image of the vehicle,” Norbiato told media.
“And that’s on us, as a business, to get more in market, and get people familiar with the design. Because it is boxy and it’s big, and the interior in particular is a standout.”
MORE: Mazda BT-50 ute to keep design as 'strength of the brand' amid incoming Kia Tasman competition
The first shipments of the Kia Tasman are due in Australian showrooms in July 2025, pending any delays.
At least three model grades will be available – a standard version, a road-oriented X-Line variant, and an off-road-focused flagship X-Pro with all-terrain tyres – in dual-cab pick-up and cab-chassis bodies locally.
A single-cab body will be offered overseas, but it is not on the radar for local showrooms.
How Kia will price its first dual-cab – and first light-commercial vehicle for Australia in decades – remains to be seen.
Volume-selling, high-grade versions of four-cylinder rivals are cost about $62,000 from Nissan, $64,000 from Mitsubishi, $68,000 from Isuzu, $69,000 from Mazda, $70,000 from Ford, and $71,500 from Toyota – all before on-road costs, bar the D-Max.
All local Tasmans will be powered by a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder with 154kW and 441Nm, matched with an eight-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel drive.
Kia has all but ruled out a bigger-engined V6 version, citing upcoming NVES emissions standards for new vehicles in Australia next year – and the lack of a suitable diesel six-cylinder engine in its global line-up.
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