Kia Australia has finally confirmed its long-awaited ute/pickup truck is just around the corner and released a commercial for it.
The commercial stars 20 of Australia’s most celebrated sports stars, including AFL star Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin, former soccer player John Aloisi, and former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. Each of the sporting legends has a brief line in the clip as they debate what the pickup should be named.
While Kia has not yet announced the ute’s name, it is widely expected to be badged the Kia Tasman. Kia trademarked the name last year and during the commercial, a newspaper clipping announcing the new ute refers to it as ‘The Tasman,’ in reference to the Tasman Sea that sits between Australia and New Zealand.
The South Korean carmaker has been working on the ute since at least early 2019 and it is expected to hit the market next year. It will be positioned as a rival to the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux. The full range of powertrains to be offered has not been confirmed but Kia Australia has previously said there will be a diesel option, most likely the company’s existing 2.2-liter CRDi turbocharged four-cylinder already available in a selection of Hyundai and Kia models.
Read: New Kia Tasman Pickup Spied Testing With Ford Ranger Raptor
“We are now officially taking Expressions of Interest (EOI) on the Kia Australia website, for both private and fleet customers, and we invite all ute-loving Australians to sign up and join us on the journey,” Kia Australia chief executive Damien Meredith confirmed. “As an incentive, the EOI group will be kept up to date of the latest news and developments from now, right up until its Australian launch in 2025.”
The Tasman is not the only pickup being developed by Kia. The brand is working on a second pickup that will be offered in the United States and sold as a BEV, underpinned by its existing E-GMP platform.
