Finally. After months of teasers, Kia has set a debut date for the Tasman. The South Korean brand’s first foray into the pickup segment arrives in less than two weeks at the 2024 Jeddah International Motor Show. It’ll break cover on October 29, and to ease the wait, there are a bunch of new shadowy images. That colorful wrap with a funky pattern is now gone, revealing the truck’s actual body.
Although the Tasman is hiding in the shadows in the unedited photos, we tweaked the brightness and exposure to unlock more details. There’s a good chance the pickup won’t fly under the radar since it appears to have an angular design with boxy wheel arches. The vertical headlights seem to take after those of the EV9 or Telluride. At the rear, that could be a huge Kia logo stamped onto the tailgate, above a generously sized Tasman script.
As with past previews, we’re looking at a double cab and it’s unclear whether additional body styles are planned. The Tasman won’t be mechanically related to the Hyundai Santa Cruz. Instead, it’ll be underpinned by a dedicated body-on-frame platform rather than having a unibody construction. Consequently, Kia’s inaugural truck will go up against the Ford Ranger rather than the more car-like Maverick.
Kia has yet to release any technical specifications, but it is believed both 4×2 and 4×4 configurations are planned. The engineers are allegedly targeting a maximum payload capacity of 2,200 pounds and a towing capacity of 7,700 pounds. While the Ranger is available with V-6 engines, rumor has it Kia will initially sell the Tasman with a smaller four-banger.
A 2.2-liter turbodiesel adapted from the Sorento is expected to find its way underneath the hood, which you’ll notice is curved at the sides. A fully electric Tasman could hit the market near the end of 2026. The conventionally powered truck will go on sale next year.
The Tasman will primarily target the Middle East, Africa, and Australia. A prototype was spotted testing in the United States but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s coming to America. The truck will be assembled in South Korea, and should it be exported to the US, it would be hit by the 25% Chicken Tax. A test mule of another pickup, this time fully electric, was also seen in the US a few months ago.
Kia previously talked about launching two electric trucks by 2027. One is a “dedicated” model while the other is “strategic” for emerging markets. Logic tells us the former will be a production version of that electric test mule while the latter will be an EV version of the Tasman.
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