Changes are coming to the Kia Tasman ute much sooner than you might think – and it is not just the styling that is planned for an update.
A top Kia executive has revealed plans for "countermeasures" to address the struggling Tasman ute’s styling and engine line-up, after being outsold 11 to one by the Ford Ranger in Australia last month.
And Kia will not wait for the Tasman's first 'facelift' – expected in 2028 – to start making changes, as the brand has confirmed unspecified updates are coming in the "short term" to help the divisive ute find greater traction with buyers.
"The answer is, clearly, we are not satisfied yet," Spencer Cho, Kia head of global business planning, told Australian media in South Korea.
"We have a lot of the expectations; we are still in the starting point and we still have a lot of time coming to us, so we will carefully monitor the market, the reactions, and the early disappointment we have in the Australian market that gave us a lot of the good lessons.
"We will provide the countermeasures for the coming years, and also we will have another powertrain choices if we can, and also another design changes or improvement, or any other offerings for the new features and content and technologies.
"Currently we are working on every area which we can improve the performance of the Tasman, especially in the Australian market."
Cho said the brand would leave no stone unturned in tweaking the Tasman's styling for broader appeal.
"As long as we have the clear market reactions to improve any certain areas, we will go all the way," he said.
The most significant revisions are expected to arrive with a 'facelift', expected in 2028 – three years after the ute's launch – that has the opportunity to alter its appearance significantly, short of redesigning the entire vehicle.
Kia had been hoping to sell 20,000 Tasman utes in its first 12 months in the market – or a 9 per cent share – and place as the country’s fourth-best-selling ute, targets it has now wound back.
It has just slashed prices by up to $14,000 as part of a limited-time deal to clear 2025-produced stock that has built up at dealers, following a series of accessory pack and finance offers in recent months.
Cho hinted at changes to the Tasman much sooner than the facelift.
"In the short term, the changes we will do that as well, and also the mid-term design changes, we will take that action as well," he said.
"So we are not just looking at the short-term solutions right now. We are working on right now on the short-term and the mid-term solutions at the same time."
It is not clear what will be changed in the short term – given the Tasman reached Australia less than 12 months ago – but updates could entail less significant versions of what is expected at the Tasman's mid-life facelift.
The Tasman has been linked to the option of petrol-electric hybrid power later in its life cycle, alongside a restyle of key design elements to address criticism of its controversial look.
A smaller update could focus on improving emissions from the turbo-diesel engine, possibly with stop-start technology seen on rivals such as the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux, to help Kia meet Australia's tough CO2 rules for new cars.
Revisions to plastic exterior parts – such as the colour and shape of bumper inserts and wheel arches – would be cheaper and quicker to implement than redesigning metal panels.
Kia Australia executives have previously expressed a preference for a hybrid Tasman over a larger diesel engine or high-performance petrol engine, though Cho would not be drawn on what "powertrain choices" are planned.
"All the options are on the table right now," he told media.
The global executive said the South Korean car giant is watching feedback closely to inform future updates.
"Kia Australia is getting a lot of the feedbacks from the media, the dealers, and also the actual customers. So we are collecting all those, the feedback from any way of means.
"We are distributing all those, the information within our companies, with the R&D, design, the purchasing or even production divisions.
"We are preparing for the countermeasures, which we make the improvement of the competitiveness of the Tasman."
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
