Kia Tasman sales a 'disappointment' says global exec, design and powertrain 'counter measures' in the pipeline

Kia's senior vice president says the company is "not satisfied" with the Tasman ute's performance in Australia and abroad, with updates on the way.

2 hours ago

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James Wong

Marketplace Editor

James Wong

Marketplace Editor

One of Kia's senior executives globally has candidly labelled the Tasman ute's early sales performance as a "disappointment", with plans to address its design and powertrain already under discussion.

Speaking with Australian media in Seoul, Spencer Cho, senior vice president and head of global business planning sub-division at Kia's global headquarters, said the Korean brand is already working on short- and mid-term "countermeasures" for the dual-cab ute in response to slow sales and customer feedback.

"Clearly we are not satisfied yet. We have a lot of expectations [for the Tasman] and we are still in the starting point, and we still have a lot of time [on our side], so we will carefully monitor the market, the reactions and early disappointment we have in the Australian market – that gave us a lot of good lessons," Mr Cho said.

"Currently we are working on every area in which we can improve the performance of the Tasman, especially in the Australian market. We will provide counter-measures for the coming years, and we will also have other powertrain choices if we can, and also design changes or improvement or any other offerings for new features and content and technologies."

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Pressed further on whether the "other powertrain choices" would include a larger engine or a hybrid powertrain, Mr Cho responded: "All the options are on the table right now."

Beyond design and powertrain updates, Mr Cho added that any additional features and technologies that can be made available to the Tasman are also on the table.

"We are monitoring the customer feedback and market reactions throughout digital media and customer voices. As you know, Kia Australia is getting a lot of feedback from the media and also dealers and actual customers," Mr Cho continued.

"So we are collecting all the feedback from any way of means [and] distributing that information within our company, with the R&D and design [divisions], and the purchasing or even production divisions. We are preparing for the countermeasures which we will make [to improve] the competitiveness of the Tasman."

To the end of April 2026, the Kia Tasman has returned 1658 registrations in Australia year to date across 4x2 and 4x4 variants, with the vast majority of buyers going for the latter. By comparison, the Ford Ranger does more than double that volume in a month.

Kia Australia has resorted to slashing thousands of dollars from the drive-away price of its first dual-cab ute, with the high-end X-Line and X-Pro subject to the largest discounts – by as much as $13,000 for the latter.

It's a far cry from the local arm's original 20,000-unit annual sales target, which at this rate won't even be half-met by the Tasman's first birthday in Australia come July. For reference, the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux each eclipsed 50,000 units for the 2025 calendar year.

That's despite the Tasman having one of the most varied and complex lineups in Kia's local stable, with five distinct trim levels, availability of 4x2 and 4x4 drivetrains, as well as dual-cab pick-up, dual-cab/chassis and single-cab/chassis body styles.

In January, Kia Australia CEO Damien Meredith said: "We've got a lot of work to do, and we know that it's a great product and it will work within the Australian market."

"We're not making or looking for excuses in regards to its slow start. It's only been on the market for seven months, it hasn't been in market in seven years. Australia asked for this product – so we do have to make it work," Mr Meredith added.

Mr Cho's confirmation of short- and mid-term countermeasures means we could see some of these improvements made within the next year or so – likely around features and price positioning initially – with more significant changes like new powertrain and design updates to be made in the next two or three years.

In overseas markets like South Korea, the only other powertrain option is a 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine shared with the likes of the Hyundai Santa Fe and Palisade, which isn't on the cards for Australia due to its higher emissions and fuel consumption against the Federal Government's New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES).

In December last year, Kia's local product planning boss Roland Rivero said the brand has also received a lot of requests for a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of the Tasman to be fast-tracked, as an alternative to the popular BYD Shark 6 as well as the Ford Ranger PHEV.

Further, we already know that Kia is also working on another ute set to offer hybrid and range-extender electric powertrains, confirmed at the company's investor day last month. Confirmed to feature a ladder-frame chassis for greater off-roading and towing capabilities, the new ute is being developed with a key focus on the North American market – which could mean it's a different vehicle to the Tasman.

Back in 2022 Kia announced it planned to launch two EV utes by 2027 – one for the US, and another a “strategic model” for emerging markets. Images posted online in 2024 showed a Michigan-plated prototype ute being tested in heavy camouflage, with the windscreen rake, side mirrors, wheel-arches, and lights all appearing to be different from the Tasman's.

Kia Tasman military rendering – Kia Special Vehicle

As for design changes, Kia has previewed a few different potential design updates very early on in the Tasman's life.

The 2025 Seoul motor show saw the debut of the more rugged Tasman Weekender (WKNDR) Concept, which subsequently went viral for its perceived improvements to the production model's design.

Finished in a matte beige exterior paint, the Tasman WKNDR boasted a host of off-road accessories and upgrades, body-coloured horizontal wheel arches, as well as a rear sailplane.

More recently, a pair of Tasman renderings were published on the Kia Special Vehicle website showcasing its range of customisation options for military and commercial applications. Both feature bodies that are recognisably Tasman, but with far more conventional designs for the grille, headlights, fenders, wheel-arch protectors, and doors.

Interestingly, the two renders, though similar, actually sport different designs – most noticeably for the headlight graphics, wheel-arch extensions, and fenders. They also have completely new door designs, both with different rear window treatments compared to the current production model.