Kia Australia say other powertrains and variants thereof Tasman may come during its likely long life cycle, but don’t expect a Ford Ranger-rivaling V6.
“We wouldn’t close the door completely [on a V6] but we have to take into account that word again: NVES,” Kia Australia general manager of product planning Roland Rivero told Australian media, pointing to the “huge” fines that apply to brands that exceed their carbon emissions targets.
“[If] If you break down the category, more than 80 percent of sales are still in the four-cylinder category and we went for the big 80 to begin with.
“We have a long product life cycle and you never know, but at this point it seems highly unlikely.”
Based on the life cycles of other Utes, the current Tasman could last at least a decade.
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The rival Ford Ranger not only offers a turbo-diesel V6 over its turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine, but also a twin-turbo petrol V6 in the hot Raptor.
“With the current movement in green car technology and government legislation, it’s going to be very, very difficult to have that kind of powertrain,” Rivero said.
“I understand the desirability of it. I understand how cool it can be, but we have to do the balancing act as a company.
Asked whether there would be hybrid or plug-in hybrid versions, Mr Rivero seemed to suggest it was a matter of ‘when’ and not ‘if’.
“This product will have a long life, like most light commercial vehicles, and we are taking into account what will happen in the future, we are taking NVES into account,” he said.
‘That also applies to the head office. They are well aware of it and we are looking at powertrain options in the future that will help us navigate NVES.”
BYD and Ford have already confirmed plug-in hybrid cars for Australia, while GWM has a hybrid available in its Cannon Alpha and will add a PHEV version next year.
When asked whether a more powerful Tasman could use a plug-in hybrid powertrain instead of a V6 like the Ranger Raptor, Mr Rivero seemed to suggest this was a possibility.
“There are no real sacred cows from a green powertrain perspective right now,” he said.
The Tasman will launch in Australia in mid-2025 with a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, although a 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel will be offered overseas.
The diesel – an updated version of the engine found in models such as the Carnival and Sorento – produces 154 kW of power and 441 Nm of torque, and is mated to an eight-speed torque converter automatic transmission.
Although that power is well comparable to that of the four-cylinder Ford Ranger BiTurbo (154 kW) and Toyota HiLux (150 kW), the torque falls below the popular models (500 Nm each), as well as that of the 3.0-liter Isuzu D -Max and Mazda. BT-50 (450 Nm) and the Mitsubishi Triton (470 Nm).
MORE: 2025 Kia Tasman revealed: Everything you need to know about the new HiLux, Ranger rival
