Kia has applied to trademark ‘Tasman’ in SA
The upcoming Kia Tasman bakkie is looking more and more likely for South Africa, with the Korean firm having earlier applied to trademark the badge in Mzansi…
Will the upcoming Kia Tasman be sold in South Africa? Well, the signs increasingly suggest that a local launch for the Korean firm’s as-yet-unrevealed 1-tonne bakkie is very much on the cards, with the automaker having earlier filed to trademark the badge in Mzansi.
Yes, Cars.co.za can confirm that Kia’s head office in Seoul applied to register the “Tasman” name as a trademark in South Africa as long ago as April 2023. Interestingly, this was just 2 weeks after a similar filing was made in South Korea and around the same time applications were made in other global markets, including Australia, New Zealand, Uruguay and France.
In South Africa, the trademark application was accepted in November 2023, though the badge has technically not yet been registered locally. Kia has, however, followed the requisite protocol of advertising the trademark in a Patent Journal (in December 2023). Provided no party objects, we believe the trademark certificate will be issued soon.
Of course, we should point out that a trademark application is by no means a guarantee the automaker will use the badge in question. Indeed, Kia holds the local rights to numerous nameplates it has yet to employ in South Africa. However, considering the sheer popularity of the bakkie body style in Mzansi, the upcoming Tasman is surely on the cards.
As a reminder, the ladder-frame bakkie is scheduled to be revealed in fellow right-hand-drive country Australia towards the end of 2024, with an expected launch in that market at some point in 2025. Kia has made no secret of the fact it will pitch the newcomer against the segment’s best sellers, such as the Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger.
In March 2024, Kia’s local distributor confirmed to Cars.co.za that it was “conducting all the feasibility studies to see whether or not [the new bakkie] will be a viable product for the South African market”. However, Kia SA told us “no timing of possible introduction is available as yet”.
Of course, Kia SA already has a presence in South Africa’s light-commercial vehicle space, where it markets its K-Series workhorse trucks (the K2700 and K2500), which are available in chassis cab, dropside and tipper forms. The Tasman, however, would be its first stab at a traditional bakkie.
Reports suggest the new Tasman – set to be offered in both single- and double-cab body styles – will launch with a 4-cylinder turbodiesel engine, likely in the form of the familiar 2.2-litre CRDi motor already employed by the likes of the Sorento and Carnival (where it generates peak outputs of 148 kW and 440 Nm). A V6 unit is seemingly off the cards, for now.
Related content
Kia explains why Tasman bakkie won’t launch with V6