It was exciting news when Kia said it’s building a pickup. Dubbed the Tasman, it’s aimed right at the stalwarts of the midsize pickup market, namely the Toyota Hilux, Mitsubishi Triton, and Ford Ranger. It’s a bold move, but Kia had no plans on sitting out this important (and profitable) segment.
The thing is, it has been months since the first teaser was shown. The Kia Tasman was shown off in more teaser shots, but not much in the way of more details. But finally, the South Korean automaker has dropped an important announcement.
OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:
The 2025 BMW 2-Series Gran Coupe is (mostly) all-new
Christmas 2024: Metro Manila malls to open at 11am beginning November 18
No, it’s not the specs, but thankfully, we now know when the pickup will finally make its world premiere. Ladies and gentlemen, the first-ever Tasman will be revealed on October 29, 2024. Not much of a long wait now.
With that announcement, Kia has, surprise surprise, released yet another teaser for the pickup. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before, or rather, it’s still the same shadowy figure which is typical for these preview photos.
The engine is a bit of a mystery right now. However, it wouldn’t be a surprise if we see Hyundai-Kia’s tried and tested 2.2-liter turbodiesel fitted under the hood. If we were to look at the specs of the Sorento, we could see 200hp and 441Nm of torque at the very least. But with some of the Tasman’s rivals packing over 210hp and 500Nm, Kia might consider adding a bit more punch in the pickup.
It will be interesting to see what the Kia Tasman will bring to the table. All of its rivals are well established and pack tech previously unimaginable in the pickup class. Terrain select? Clever locking diffs? We’ll have to wait for the world premiere to find out.
