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Kia’s divisive ute hasn’t even hit showrooms, but a pair of police mock-ups of the Tasman might be the best-looking versions of the upcoming workhorse yet.
At the Australasian Police and Emergency Services Games (AP&ES Games), a pair of state-agnostic police versions of the 2025 Kia Tasman are on display until at least 22 March - both supplied by Kia Australia.
“You'll know you have arrived at the games hub when you see this beauty who has taken up residence in the forecourt of the game's hub for the next 10 days,” the organisers announced on the AP&ES Games Facebook page along with a photo.
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Another image of the police Tasman was also posted by a Kia Tasman fan account (yes, really) on Reddit, though Kia Australia hasn’t issued a press release for the ute’s presence at the event despite being a sponsor.
Along with the two Tasmans for display, Kia also supplied eight Carnival vans as courtesy fleet vehicles for the event.
Kia already supplies other police cars across the country, notably the Sorento SUV and formerly the Kia Stinger sedan as a replacement highway patrol car for the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore.
The Tasman’s design has drawn criticism (mostly from the internet) since its reveal last year, with one point of focus being the black plastic wheel arch shape.
Body-coloured arches are set to be available to Australians upon the ute’s launch mid-year, though the police Tasmans at the AP&ES Games aren’t wearing them.
Aside from that change, the Kia Tasman’s design isn’t set to change ahead of its launch.
Kia Australia’s General Manager of Product Planning Roland Rivero told CarsGuide early in 2025 that “at this stage what you've seen at the reveal is what you're going to get”.
Additionally, he said Kia was prepared for the reaction for its daring design.
“We probably weren't surprised by it, but we set out as a brand to be different, to be distinctive in what is a fairly heritage type of conservative segment.
“Our designers set out to deliver a product that's designed for 2025 to 2035, as opposed to a product that's really pretty much designed for the era that's gone by.
“So it remains to be seen obviously, the proof will be in the pudding when the time comes.”
Rivero added that Kia is “still confident our target, 20,000 a year, is something that we can achieve with the product.”
