The Tasman has finally arrived in Australia, with VFACTS confirming 683 units delivered in the ute’s launch month — just 50 short of Mazda’s BT-50.
Kia Australia claims more than 2,500 deposits have been secured secured. The company is targeting 20,000 annual sales, which would place it fourth in the national ute market behind the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux, and Isuzu D-Max.
That goal puts the Tasman in direct competition with established models like the Mitsubishi Triton (18,077 sold in 2024) and Mazda BT-50 (15,164), as well as newer entrants such as the BYD Shark, which has recorded approximately 10,000 sales in the first half of 2025. BYD’s early success was helped by a rush of buyers seeking to take advantage of a now-expired fringe benefits tax (FBT) exemption on plug-in hybrids.
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Kia’s rollout has been slower, but the company remains confident. “We’re on track to hit that annualised rate,” said Kia Australia COO Dennis Piccoli, citing ongoing fleet trials and growing interest from business buyers.
Sales to date have been led by high-spec X-Line and X-Pro variants, mostly among private and ABN holders. However, Kia expects cheaper cab-chassis models and a coming single cab to account for the bulk of long-term volume. A five-star ANCAP safety rating, along with commercial accessories like service bodies, is expected to support fleet uptake.
“We won’t do anything silly to get that 20,000,” said CEO Damien Meredith. “If we can do 20,000 to 25,000 a year for the next decade, we’d be pretty happy.”
Production is still ramping up in South Korea, with local deliveries expected to increase in the second half of the year.
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Deliveries by brand
| Brand | July 2025 deliveries | Year-on-year change |
|---|---|---|
| Toyota | 21,722 | -4.3% |
| Mazda | 7452 | -12.1% |
| Kia | 7402 | +11.8% |
| Ford | 7279 | -6.1% |
| Hyundai | 6687 | +11.1% |
| Mitsubishi | 4983 | -12.9% |
| GWM | 4721 | +42.2% |
| BYD | 4607 | +158.0% |
| Isuzu Ute | 3986 | +4.3% |
Deliveries by country of origin
| Country | Sales | Change YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | 30,874 | -8.1% |
| Thailand | 20,596 | -6.1% |
| China | 19,997 | +33.1% |
| Korea | 13,179 | +0.5% |
| Germany | 5234 | +7.5% |