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Kia Tasman hybrid or EV? It’s all about turbo-diesel for the looming Kia Tasman ute, but an electrified version is inevitable.
4×4 Australia
Following a massive media campaign in Australia and a global unveiling last year, Kia is set to launch its all-new Tasman midsize ute to the market this coming July. But before the Korean manufacturer does that, it gave us a sneak peak of the Tasman’s off-road capabilities at a drive event in NSW.
The Tasman utes made available to us on the private property were all pre-production models, and not all up to final specification and finish, but the Kia team told us that the Tan Beige Tasman we had to drive was pretty close to the top of the range X-Pro model.
Which Car?
When Damien Meredith first told his South Korean masters he could sell an extra 20,000 Kia cars in Australia, they did not believe him.
But the CEO of Kia Australia persisted with a plan that was hoped to push the company past 100,000 annual deliveries and make it the number two seller in Australia behind Toyota.
Now Kia is less than a month from playing the trump card for its $1 billion gamble on Australia’s love affair with one-tonne utes.
It’s the Tasman and, despite initial doubts – if that’s the right word – about the styling, the momentum is building.
Drive
It’s the highly anticipated first tilt at the ute segment from Kia for Australia, sporting one of the most controversial designs in recent history. We get behind the wheel for the first time.
Car Expert
It may seem odd that the Kia Tasman dual-cab ute will soon be launched only with a diesel engine, and without any form of electrified powertrains.
That’s especially so given the Korean brand’s well-stocked inventory of petrol-electric (HEV) and battery-electric (EV) vehicle technologies, and the number of competitors adding hybrid drivetrains.
But the carmaker’s first pickup is expected to eventually become available with at least EV power.