The Kia Tasman is a mid-size pickup truck that is due to be launched in 2025. Originally only planned for an Australian launch, Kia has since confirmed that it will also be available in Korea, Africa and the Middle East, making it a global model, but it has not yet been confirmed for the US market.

Kia

Kia is a South Korean automaker based in Seoul. The company was originally founded 80 years ago as a bicycle manufacturer, but today it is the second largest automaker in South Korea, just behind Hyundai.

Founded

1944

headquarters

Seoul, South Korea

Owned by

Hyundai Motor Group

Now, before you get too excited, just because they haven’t announced it to us yet doesn’t mean they never will. In fact, the Tasman has been spotted testing in the US in Southern California. If Kia’s latest video is any indication, the Tasman will have some serious off-road capabilities when it goes on sale.

The promise of off-road capability

The Tasman is a pickup truck, or ute as it is known in Australia, that will have a body-on-frame construction with four-wheel drive and real capability. It will be more off-road capable than the Hyundai Santa Cruz, which has the same platform as the Tucson, making it a competitor to models such as the Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger and Nissan Frontier.

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In this video, it appears to be battling through some pretty challenging terrain, even catching a little air along the way. Although it’s heavily camouflaged, we’ve seen plenty of teasers showcasing the Tasman’s rugged and combative design. It looks like it should be a capable off-road vehicle, and with Kia leaning so heavily in that direction, it’s likely to live up to those expectations.

Handle everything from dirt to water to rocks

To ensure the Tasman doesn’t disappoint off-road enthusiasts when it launches, Kia has been testing it in the Australian landscape, which is notoriously challenging. The landscape is also quite diverse, giving the Kia engineering team plenty of opportunities to test their creation in a variety of scenarios. Powertrains for this new pickup will be limited to 4-cylinder engines, at least at launch. Kia didn’t want to make the compromises in towing and payload that come with electrification, but hybrid or electric options could be part of its future plans.

Related

The engine options of the Kia Tasman pickup truck will initially be very limited

A Kia Australia executive has said that electric powertrains and V6 engines are currently out of the question. But does that also apply to the American market?

Previous videos have shown the Tasman splashing through water, kicking up tons of dirt and sand, and effortlessly clawing its way up a steep desert slope. This time, the terrain was more challenging, but it rose to the challenge just as easily. Kia wants to make it a midsize pickup that can do anything and go anywhere. We’ll just have to wait and see if the US is one of the places on that list.