Kia Teases Tasman And Explains U.S. Sightings, Leakers Reveal EV9-Style Interior

Kia doesn’t usually go in for the eye-catching, or eye-distracting, swirly camouflage wraps other automakers use to disguise their prototypes. But this 2026 Tasman pickup looks more like a BMW art car than a still-secret truck.

The Tasman is Kia’s answer to the Ford Ranger and in all previous sightings, it’s worn the big, black padded camo that the Korean brands love to swaddle their new vehicles in. You know, the ones that look like those superhero costumes with the built-in muscles.

Related: New Kia Tasman Pickup Spied Testing With Ford Ranger Raptor

But mixed-media artist Richard Boyd-Dunlop has added a welcome splash of color in the form of a wrap that visualizes a journey across the outback and along the coasts of Australia. Boyd-Dunlop claims the design takes inspiration from his time hitch-hiking rides in the back of pickup trucks through the country in years past.

Kia says the wrap will remain in place until the truck is ready for launch at some point in 2025, but while we might still have to wait a year to see the outside of the Tasman minus its disguise, we already know what it looks like on the inside. That’s thanks to this TikTok video taken by someone who had access to a prototype and probably shouldn’t have.

@eftm Inside the KIA TASMAN ute! First video as some lads post the first video of inside the first big Korean Ute for Australia #leak #exclusive #sneak #mule #test #kia #tasman #eftm ♬ original sound – EFTM.com

It shows an interior that borrows heavily from the Kia’s electric EV9 SUV and offers plenty of luxury features in its highest trim levels. But maybe Kia’s design team ought to have got Boyd-Dunlop and his crayons involved because it’s very, very gray.

Kia’s C-segment truck is aimed at markets like Korea, Australia, Africa, and the Middle East, but is unlikely to appear in the U.S. unless Kia decides to build it there. That’s due to the ‘chicken tax,’ a 25 percent levy on imported pickups that dates back to the 1960s.

What About The U.S. Sightings Of Kia Tasman Prototypes?

Images and videos on the web showing prototypes testing in North America in recent months, and Kia’s description of it being a ‘global’ truck, started rumors that the Tasman might come to the U.S., but Kia told us not to read too much into the sightings.

“At this time, Kia America does not have any official announcements related to the Tasman, despite reports of a prototype undergoing testing in the U.S.,” it told us. “It’s important to note that Kia’s California Proving Grounds is located in the Mojave Desert, serving as a vital hub for R&D and evaluating Kia vehicles, including those meant for global markets. The Tasman testing at this facility does not imply plans for its sale in the U.S. market.”

Earlier this month Kia announced that the truck would be called Tasman after both the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand and explorer Abel Tasman, who discovered Australia’s island state of Tasmania. It also revealed that the truck would feature a diesel powertrain, which is almost certainly a 2.2-liter, four-cylinder CRDi engine, while reports suggest that the body-on-frame architecture is shared with the second generation Kia Mohave SUV, and dates back to the 2008 Kia Borrego.