2025 Kia Tasman ute: Powertrains, towing, launch timing and everything else we know so far about crucial Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger rival

We are now steaming towards out first sneak peek of the Kia Tasman ute, with the diesel dual-cab expected to be unveiled in concept form next month, ahead of prototype arrivals touching down in Australia – where they will no doubt be captured in countless spy pics – for its final pre-launch development.

And as the clock continues to tick towards launch, the tidbits of information we learn increase, and so what better time to recap everything we know so far about what will soon become the most important model in Kia's line-up.

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What's in a name?

First things first, Kia is yet to confirm the Tasman name for its TK ute, but it has trademarked the Tasman nameplate in Australia (which has just sailed though to the 'approved' stage, btw, green-lighting its use).

That said, there is a chance, albeit a small one, that the name could change before launch, or that the Tasman could be named something else in international markets.

Our money is on the Tasman being the global name, though time will tell.

An earlier render of the Tasman ute. (Image: Kolesa.ru)

Kia Tasman Range

It might be Kia's first attempt at a proper dual-cab, but the Korean brand is promising to make a real fist of it. Unlike sister brand Hyundai, Kia will evade electricity (for now) and instead offer the kind of diesel dual-cab we've come to know in Australia – one it hopes will be able to upset the existing ute pecking order in our market.

Take this, from Kia Australia CEO Damien Meredith, who has previously told CarsGuide that "We’re talking about a dual-cab, a single-cab - what we’ve requested is the full gambit for the ute."

We know the ute is being benchmarked against Australia's top-selling utes, and our sources have confirmed the brand is interested in competing in the most popular ute sub-segments, which means the brand will surely offer everything from a tray-backed workhorse to a more premium lifestyle offering.

And given the ute was recently spied testing in Europe with a Ford Ranger Raptor, it's a solid bet the brand has plans for a flagship tough truck Tasman, too.

Spied testing with the Ford Ranger Raptor (Image: CarScoops.com)

Kia Tasman sales projections

Why is Kia finally turning its attention to a ute? Because it wants a slice of the lucrative ute pie – and it wants a big one at that.

Kia has always said it expects to pretty quickly capture around 10 per cent of the ute market with the Tasman, which, given around 245,000 LCVs were sold in Australia last year, would put Kia's share at around 24,000 vehicles,

That would make it Kia's highest-selling vehicle, and – if it had been added to the brand's 2023 full-year total of 76,120 sales – would have elevated Kia to third place on our best-selling brands list, behind just Mazda and Toyota.

Kia Tasman local development

Kia says the Tasman will be the most Australian vehicle it has ever developed, with the team here leading much of the project, and hosting travelling engineers from the brand's global offices to get a feel for our market.

That's a big promise, especially given every Kia model goes through significant ride and handling tuning in Australia. But that pales in comparison to the amount of work going into the Tasman.

CarsGuide understands Kia has funded several top-secret missions to our market to study its competitors, its customers and Australia's unique conditions, with development stretching way back to 2020.

Asked whether the new ute would be the most Australian Kia ever, the brand's General Manager of Product Planning, Roland Rivero told CarsGuide: "Definitely."

Spied with camouflage (Image: WoopaTV)

"It's a different sport," Mr Rivero said. "But with that involvement comes a lot of responsibility."

Part of that responsibility stems from volume promises made to Kia HQ, but it also includes expectations from other ute-heavy markets to deliver a global dual-cab product that outshines the competition.

"We've had feedback certainly from South Africa, who have been in contact with myself personally and our marketing team in regards to that," said Meredith.

"It's an important car. An important car for South Africa. Important car for the Middle East."

Kia Tasman Platform

There's no real mystery here – Kia's ute will ride on a ladder-frame chassis, believed to be developed for both a ute and a yet-to-be-revealed 4WD SUV that is also expected to be shared with Hyundai.

The platform is all-new, developed exclusively for the brand's tougher, off-road focused vehicles, and so is entirely different to Hyundai's E-GMP electric platform that will underpin its ute, and Kia's electric version, too.

Kia Tasman Powertrain

While the pending introduction of Australia's New Vehicle Emissions Standard is throwing a lot of the old ways of doing things into question, the Kia Tasman's diesel engine will survive.

That engine, with it's automatic-gearbox pairing, will be a four-cylinder turbo-diesel, with Kia in Australia declaring its interest in populating Australia's most-popular ute sub-segments, which are dominating by four-pot diesels.

"We've said all along that if we're going to develop this vehicle, then it has to be a solid competitor for HiLux and Ranger," Rivero has told CarsGuide.

The Kia ute could share the 2.2L diesel engine with the Staria-Load van. (Image: Matt Campbell)

"Look at the big-ticket (engines) that are doing the most sales. We always cut it up and dissect accordingly and look at where the big volume is.

"We're definitely aiming for (the benchmark).

"We're not mucking around when it comes to the ute. We want to make sure that the first attempt at a ute from our brand is one that's going to do well in our market."

There's a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel in the group already, which – when deployed in Hyundai's Staria van – makes 130kW/430Nm, and which partners with an eight-speed automatic gearbox. Those numbers aren't exactly benchmark-setting, though, so expect more power from Kia's ute.

Kia Tasman Capability

Kia has benchmarked the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux, and it knows exactly what it needs to deliver - a one-tonne-plus payload, a 3.5-tonne braked towing capacity, and the ability to fit a Euro pallet in its bed.

But we also expect Kia to take it further than the spec sheet, with the Ford Ranger's car-like comfort and practicality innovations also said to be high on its hit list. Off-road capability, and lifestyle uses – like long-distance towing – will also be under study.

The other weapon in Kia's arsenal is the brand's localisation program, which the ute will undergo, and which should commence in Australia next year.

The ride and handling tuning program has been rolled out across all Kia vehicles, with the testing and changes made in Australia genuinely transforming the way the brand's vehicles hold up to our conditions.

Kia Tasman Timing

Kia Australia says the Kia Tasman remains on track for its 2025 launch, while the brand globally has begun dropping hints that we'll get our first look soon.

Expect to see a concept version drop around March, before testing spy shots gather steam ahead of its official launch.