Kia unveils Tasman bakkie, set for SA roads by 2025

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“The all-new Kia Tasman presents an exciting new opportunity for Kia globally, and indeed in South Africa.We are hard at work to make the Tasman’s local introduction a reality, and based on current planning, we aim to do this in the second half of 2025,” said Turnbull.

The Kia Tasman will initially launch in the Korean domestic market during the first half of 2025 before subsequently being introduced in Australia, Africa and the Middle East, with Saudia Arabia expected to be a particularly strong market.

The Korean brand's first bakkie is offered as a double cab base model and in X-Line and X-Pro trim. The X-Pro provides off-road performance thanks to its 28mm higher ground clearance, which totals 252mm. It is equipped with 17-inch gloss-black wheels with all-terrain tyres, while X-Line features larger 18-inch alloy wheels paired with highway and terrain tyres.

Additionally, Kia provides customisable chassis cab variants, along with single cab options that optimise bed space by reconfiguring the passenger compartment into a single-row layout.

IT will be offered with four-bed accessory configurations: Single Decker, Double Decker, Sports Bar and Ladder Rack, with the first three available immediately from launch. In addition, there will be a total of 13 accessory products offered, including two types of side steps and beadlock-style wheels.

The Tasman Single Decker features a canopy and butterfly doors and a roof rack for a rooftop tent. The Tasman Double Decker features a trunk equipped with butterfly doors and a sliding tonneau cover, offering customisable cargo space. The Sports Roll Bar variant comes with a functional frame for mounting outdoor lifestyle items. The Ladder Rack variant features a ladder-type rack and is also compatible with rooftop tents.

Based upon a body-on-frame platform, the Kia Tasman will be offered in Korea with a 207kW 2.5l petrol engine mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. With 421Nm of torque, the Kia Tasman can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 8.5 seconds and on to a maximum speed of 185km/h.

In the Australian market, the pickup will feature a 154kW 2.2l diesel engine paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Producing 441Nm of torque, the engine can propel the Kia Tasman from 0-100km/h in 10.4 seconds, while top speed remains unchanged.

In other regions, such as the Middle East and Africa, customers can choose between the 2.5l petrol engine equipped with an eight-speed automatic transmission, and a 2.2ldiesel engine with a choice of an eight-speed automatic or six-speed manual transmissions (depending on market).

According to Kian, the Tasman has undergone 1,777 specific tests conducted over more than 18,000 rounds of evaluation. These tests took place across a range of environments and covered everything from off-road ability to wading, all-terrain durability to towing, and on-track performance to ride and handling.