New Kia Tasman bakkie: first official images drop
The first official images of the new Kia Tasman have been released, giving us our best look yet at the Korean firm’s upcoming 1-tonne bakkie (in double-cab form)…
What you’re looking at here are the first official images of the upcoming Kia Tasman, a fresh-faced 1-tonne bakkie due to be fully revealed later in 2024. Kia says the Tasman’s “launch strategy will be phased globally”, including “key markets such as Korea, Australia, Africa and the Middle East”.
While Kia SA has confirmed to Cars.co.za that it’s “conducting all the feasibility studies to see whether or not [the new bakkie] will be a viable product for the South African market”, the brand’s local distributor has so far stopped short of officially confirming the Tasman for Mzansi.
That said, the bakkie is looking increasingly likely to be offered locally. Indeed, as we recently reported, Kia’s head office in Seoul applied to register the “Tasman” name as a trademark in South Africa as early as April 2023. Still, keep in mind that since Australia will be the first market to launch the newcomer in 2025, any local introduction would take place only thereafter.
The new, official images show the Tasman wrapped in what Kia describes as “Australia-inspired camouflage”. The Korean firm’s first stab at a traditional ladder-frame bakkie is, of course, named after Tasmania, an island at the southernmost tip of Australia.
While the various teaser images unfortunately don’t give up a glimpse of the Tasman’s rear end (or indeed its all-important load bay), they certainly provide us with plenty of clues about the bakkie’s side and front-end styling cues. Indeed, we see blocky wheel-arch extensions, with the front items seemingly integrated with the upright headlamp design. In profile, meanwhile, the double-cab variant’s beltline kicks up at the C-pillar.
According to Kia, the camouflage wrap was developed “in collaboration with mixed-media artist Richard Boyd-Dunlop, influenced by the “untamed beauty of Australia’s diverse landscapes” and serving to “underscore the Tasman’s adventurous spirit”.
“Our Tasman pick-up truck embodies Kia’s commitment to design and innovation, as well as its spirit of adventure. Artist Richard Boyd-Dunlop crafted an exclusive camouflage design, with the support of the Kia design team, that depicts a journey and reflects an essence of adventure that is unique to the Tasman,” said Karim Habib, Executive Vice President and Head of Kia Global Design.
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. That said, reports suggest the new bakkie – set to be offered in both single- and double-cab body styles – will launch only with a 4-cylinder turbodiesel engine.
That motor will likely be Kia’s familiar 2.2-litre CRDi unit that’s already employed by the likes of the Sorento and Carnival, where it generates peak outputs of 148 kW and 440 Nm. A V6 is seemingly off the cards, for now.
Of course, Kia SA already has a strong 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, will be its first stab at a traditional bakkie…
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