It seems you can’t sell a car in Australia without offering an even more off-road-ready version developed by a local engineering firm.
Premcar developed the Nissan Navara SL and Pro-4X Warrior, while Walkinshaw was even more prolific in this area, launching the WAU Ford Ranger, Isuzu D-Max Blade and the defunct Mitsubishi Triton Xtreme and several Volkswagen Amarok W-series models.
With the Kia Tasman As we entered the busy ute market we naturally had to ask ourselves: will Walkinshaw or Premcar be tasked with covering the new Korean ute?`
“I think again we have a long, long life cycle of models or products to look forward to, so we’re not going to close that door,” Kia Australia general manager of product planning Roland Rivero told us. AutoExpert.
“There was interest, the Premcars of this world knocked on the door and said: let’s look at a partnership.
“For now, [it’s a matter of] First and foremost, let’s get the basics right, understand Tasman’s core volume areas… we’ve kept it simple for now for the start of the launch phase.”
Kia says the Tasman has the most complex model range of any vehicle it has introduced in Australia.
It targets the heart of the ute market with single cab/chassis, double cab/chassis and double cab pick-up variants, all powered by a four-cylinder turbo diesel engine.
It has indicated that the Tasman will have the typically long life cycle of a ute – likely around 10 years – giving Kia plenty of time to introduce new variants to keep things fresh.
This can be a locally tuned model, but also hybrid, plug-in hybrid or electric versions. Indeed, Mr Rivero said there are “no sacred cows” when it comes to the Tasman.
Locally tuned vehicles such as the D-Max Blade and Navara Warrior typically offer no additional power, but do bring improvements aimed at improving off-road capabilities.
The D-Max Blade, for example, features a higher ride height, a retuned suspension, a wider track and a range of cosmetic improvements.
If a similar formula were applied to the Tasman, Kia could offer an even more capable version of its new ute than the cruise control, a Ground View Monitor and all-terrain tires.
Don’t expect a Ford Ranger Raptor-rivaling Tasman variant, though, as Kia has all but ruled out a V6 model.
“We wouldn’t close the door completely [on a V6]but once again we have to take into account that word: NVES,” said Mr. Rivero, pointing to the “huge” fines applicable to brands that exceed their CO2 emissions targets as part of the federal government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard 2025 . .
“[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.”
MORE: Everything Kia Tasman
