Kia Tasman makes global debut at Jeddah Motor Show
Kia has unveiled full details of Tasman, the brand’s first pickup truck. Marking the latest addition to Kia’s line-up, Tasman sets the benchmark for Kia’s future pickup range.
According to Kia, Tasman was engineered to meet customers’ diverse needs across all forms of terrain.
“Kia’s first-ever pickup truck was created from the ground up to transform the market and respond to the growing preference for lifestyle-oriented trucks with advanced features,” said president and CEO at Kia, Ho Sung Song.
“The Kia Tasman is a progressive pickup truck that follows its own path – not the competition. The Kia Tasman combines true pickup values with exceptional capability and practicality, and advanced features that defy conventional thinking. This essence is instilled in our global slogan ‘Dive into a New Dimension’, enabling customers to broaden their horizons. It offers world-first solutions for those seeking a lifestyle vehicle for leisure and outdoor activities while meeting the needs of small business operators, such as traders and farmers.”
EXTERIOR DESIGN – A FRESH APPROACH TO AESTHETICS
The Kia design team shunned the familiar form language that has dominated the pickup genre for decades. This fresh approach to aesthetics strips away “the unnecessary” to begin with a basic, honest form that highlights the vehicle’s sense of solid power through simple yet functional elements, without relying on the over-sized styling that has come to dominate the pickup segment.
“Created especially for explorers, adventurers and people who like to get things done, the Kia Tasman is designed to serve as a dependable companion in every situation,” said Executive Vice President and Head of Kia Global Design, Karim Habib.
“Solid and capable, its design begins with an honest form, using simple and rugged elements to capture a spirit of practicality. The Kia Tasman is a pickup truck that effortlessly blends lifestyle and utility and represents our commitment to always bring bold and innovative ideas to our customers.”
An expansive radiator grille and bumper design emphasise the pickup’s width, while the hood trim and grille frame the familiar Kia Tiger Face, featuring vertically oriented signature lighting incorporated into the headlamps.
The upright windshield and rear glass contribute to Tasman’s bold silhouette, reinforced by the 45-degree angles of the vehicle’s striking graphic elements. The unique fender design combines practical functions, such as headlights and storage units, demonstrating functionality and clear, confident design.
The tailgate showcases a bold, stamped logo, while the tailgate handle and high-mounted stop-lamp are seamlessly integrated for enhanced functionality and a utilitarian character.
Nine colours are available on Tasman: Clear White, Snow Pearl White, Steel Gray, Interstellar Gray, Cityscape Green, Runway Red, Aurora Black Pearl and new hues Tan Beige and Denim Blue.
INTERIOR DESIGN – PURITY AND PRACTICALITY COMBINED
Tasman’s interior introduces a bold new dimension of design quality for pickup customers. Purity and simplicity are prioritised in equal measure through a practical cabin that will remain a dependable partner to the user through the years.
The robust and rugged space is in keeping with the character of a pickup truck. The interior design leverages concise, symmetrical proportions to create a stable, balanced appearance.
Large air vents featuring a honeycomb pattern – a key theme of the interior – emphasise the functionality of the ventilation. A multi-function steering wheel and the modern, minimalist lower centre dashboard and tunnel sections with carefully positioned buttons provide intuitive control of Tasman’s technology. Luxurious, sophisticated shapes and details applied throughout the cabin raise the bar further for pickup interior design.
State-of-the-art 12.3-inch + 5-inch + 12.3-inch panoramic widescreen technology gives the driver and passenger access to vehicle controls and advanced infotainment options. An optional eight-speaker Harmon Kardon premium audio system allows users to take full advantage of the standard-fit Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration.
To support its customers in new and more meaningful ways in both their business and leisure activities, Kia has equipped Tasman’s interior with a broad range of innovative features and equipment. These include a large folding console table, dual wireless charging pads and hidden storage bins concealed beneath the rear seats offering class-leading storage capacity of 33 litres. Tasman also boasts best-in-segment headroom, shoulder room and second-row legroom of 940mm, with the rear seats able to recline between 22 and 30 degrees, ensuring a spacious and comfortable environment.
Tasman includes the brand’s “10 must-have sustainability items” such as a crash pad made from bioplastics, seats crafted with recycled PET fabric and bio-PU synthetic leather, a paint composition that includes BTX-free and bio-paint, and an interior carpet is made from recycled PET material.
The pickup’s interior trim is available in five colour-ways: Onyx Black/Medium Gray, Espresso Brown/Onyx Black, and Deep Green/Medium Gray. When selecting the more off-road focused X-Line and X-Pro models, customers have the choice of between two-tone colour options, including Onyx Black/Medium Gray and Deep Green/Terracotta Brown.
KIA TASMAN TRIMS AND SPECIFICATIONS
Tasman is offered as a double cab base model and in X-Line and X-Pro trim. The X-Pro provides superior off-road performance thanks to its 28mm higher ground clearance, which totals 252mm. It is equipped with 17-inch gloss-black wheels with all-terrain tires, while X-Line features larger 18-inch alloy wheels paired with highway and terrain tyres.
Additionally, Kia provides customisable chassis cab variants to meet specific business needs, along with single cab options that optimise bed space by reconfiguring the passenger compartment into a single-row layout. A range of accessories is available designed to enhance leisure and work activities, enabling consumers to tailor their orders to their specific preferences. These accessories are standardised in design, innovative and unique in character, and provide versatile real-world solutions that enable users to make the most of their vehicle’s spaciousness, practicality and go-anywhere ability.
Tasman will be offered with four bed accessory configurations: Single Decker, Double Decker, Sports Bar and Ladder Rack, with the first three available immediately from launch. In addition, there will be a total of 13 accessory products offered, including two types of side steps and beadlock-style wheels.
The Single Decker features a canopy and butterfly doors for easy access, and a roof rack for a rooftop tent. Tasman’s Double Decker features a trunk equipped with butterfly doors and a sliding tonneau cover, offering customisable cargo space. The Sports Roll Bar variant comes with a functional frame for mounting outdoor lifestyle items. The Ladder Rack variant features a ladder-type rack and is also compatible with rooftop tents.
DRIVETRAIN – SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE AND COMFORT
Based upon a body-on-frame platform, Tasman will be offered in Korea with a 281PS 2.5-litre petrol engine mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. With 421Nm of torque, the Kia Tasman can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 8.5 seconds and on to a maximum speed of 185km/h.
In the Australian market, the pickup will feature a 210PS 2.2-liter diesel engine paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Producing 441Nm of torque, the engine can propel the Kia Tasman from 0-100km/h in 10.4 seconds, while top speed remains unchanged.
In other regions, such as the Middle East and Africa, customers can choose between the 2.5-litre petrol engine equipped with an eight-speed automatic transmission, and a 2.2-litre diesel engine with a choice of an eight-speed automatic or six-speed manual transmissions (depending on market).
Using an optimised composite bush structure to mount the Kia Tasman’s body to the frame-type chassis ensures improved rigidity, body control, stability and comfort. Equally, the double-wishbone front suspension units have been developed to improve ride and handling in all conditions. The rear features a rigid axle with leaf springs for optimum robustness and load carrying capability, incorporating vertically mounted shock absorbers to ensure more effective damping and greater control, even at the extremes of suspension travel.
The capabilities provided by the front and rear suspension units are significantly enhanced by Kia’s frequency selective Sensitive Damper Control (SDC) and Hydraulic Rebound Stop technology. These further minimise vibration transmitted to the cabin and improve body control and comfort, even on the roughest terrain.
PICKUP-SPECIFIC FEATURES – SAFE DRIVING ON ALL TERRAINS
To ensure Tasman’s engine provides the level of protection expected by pickup customers when traversing water, Kia’s engineers have positioned the air intake inside the vehicle’s fender. This gives all variants the ability to ford water up to 800mm deep at a speed of 7km/h. Further water ingress prevention measures, such as the use of waterproof connectors for selected interior parts, have also been taken to protect critical components, ensuring excellent durability in challenging conditions.
State-of-the-art all-terrain drivetrain technology tested and proven in numerous locations, including the snowy tundra of Sweden, scorching deserts in the Australian outback and the Al Qudra in UAE, and steep inclines in the US and Korea.
Both the X-Line and the X-Pro are equipped with all-wheel-drive as standard, which is optionally available on the base model. The AWD system switches automatically to the configuration required to provide optimum traction on different road surfaces and offers three driving modes – ECO, Smart and Sport – with various terrain modes available within these settings depending on the relevant market.
The X-Pro model provides an additional Rock mode, specifically designed to enhance performance on challenging mountainous terrains. In the Middle East and Africa, Desert, Mud, Snow and Rock modes are fitted to all-wheel-drive variants of the Kia Tasman. In Australia and all other general markets, all-wheel-drive variants are equipped with Sand, Mud, Snow and Rock modes.
Further enhancements to the X-Pro variant include an automatically engaging rear Electronic Locking Differential (e-LD) and X-Trek mode. X-Trek mode enables the vehicle to maintain a low speed off-road without the need for manual acceleration or braking, ensuring smooth navigation through rough terrain. The e-LD, located in the rear differential, provides advanced control over locking and unlocking, enhancing the vehicle’s adaptability and control in off-road scenarios.
Kia’s Ground View Monitor (GVM) provides drivers with a further level of confidence while traversing challenging off-road terrain. By utilising the Kia Tasman’s camera and infotainment screens, the technology shows what is going on at ground level, allowing the driver to manoeuvre the vehicle precisely in tight areas.
PRACTICALITY – WORK EVERYWHERE
Kia’s designers and engineers have spared no detail to create a pickup truck that opens new dimensions of support for small business owners, such as traders, farmers and those working in outdoor environments with thoughtful and highly practical features.
Standard-fit items include corner steps, giving easy access to the illuminated load bed, while a power outlet (rated at 240 volts in Australia and 220 volts in other markets) for hand tools or laptops, and a sliding cargo floor that makes loading and unloading materials and equipment more convenient, are offered as optional features. Along with divider-forming capabilities for the bed, Tasman offers optional bedside flexibility, with a mini table for items such as a Bluetooth speaker or cup, making it ideal for work and camping activities.
Inside, the folding console table adds further versatility to Tasman, allowing it to transition from a work vehicle to a mobile business space. This gives users the opportunity to use their laptop for work or relaxation.
Tasman’s load bed is 1,512 mm long, 1,572 mm wide (1,186 mm between the wheels), and 540 mm deep, which provides best-in-class cargo capability of 1,173 litres (VDA). Thanks to a multi-skeleton, highly strengthened bed structure, Tasman can carry a maximum payload of 1,195kg in 2WD mode, in addition to a 3,500kg towing capacity.
ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY – PLAY EVERYWHERE
Ensuring that every element of Tasman’s chassis and suspension has been developed to soak up punishment across harsh off-road terrain also delivers excellent benefits for on-road driving. Predictable, engaging handling and a comfortable ride ensure that Tasman is a pickup that can be enjoyed to the full during.
Even on long highway journeys, features such as enhanced sound-deadening materials, additional wind-sealing strips and advanced noise extractor technology provide a hushed, vibration-free cabin ambience not typically available in the pickup truck sector.
Tasman users can also benefit from the latest technology to help keep them safe on every journey. Not only do the pickup’s ADAS offer features such as lane keeping assist, blind spot collision warning and remote parking assist through highway driving assist 2 (HDA 2), they have also been optimised with trailer profile functionality. This function enables the specification of the trailer to be incorporated into the pickup’s ADAS, which then automatically optimises driving characteristics accordingly.
WORLD PREMIERE
Tasman has undergone 1,777 specific tests conducted over more than 18,000 rounds of evaluation. These tests took place across a range of environments and covered everything from off-road ability to wading, all-terrain durability to towing, and on-track performance to ride and handling.
Tasman makes its global debut in the Middle East at the Jeddah Motor Show, while being unveiled simultaneously online.
The models displayed at the Jeddah Motor Show include the Baseline Double Cab, X-Line Double Cab, X-Pro Double Cab and X-Pro Double Cab Customised.
Tasman will initially launch in the Korean domestic market during the first half of 2025 before subsequently being introduced in Australia, Africa and the Middle East, with Saudia Arabia expected to be a particularly strong market.
