Kia introduced the Tasman, its first truck, last October for markets like Asia and Australia. However, the company might already have bigger plans to expand the model's appeal.
In an interview with CarSales, Kia Australia's Chief Ride and Handling Engineer, Graeme Gambold, said that an SUV based on the Tasman pickup could be just three years away. Dean Norbiato, the automaker's regional general manager of marketing, added that if the Tasman was a success, it could "open many doors."
However, details remain scarce about such a long-rumored model.
The Tasman is a body-on-frame truck, which Kia claims can ford water up to 31.5 inches deep, and it is available with a locking differential for added off-road ruggedness. The Tasman is designed to compete with other mid-size trucks, such as the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux.
An SUV version would give Kia an interesting Toyota 4Runner rival. Rugged SUVs remain popular, especially in places that demand robust vehicles. Using the truck's rugged platform for an SUV is a smart opportunity that could broaden the brand's appeal to potentially new customers.
Despite America's love of trucks and SUVs, Kia confirmed in April that it has no plans to bring the Tasman to the US. That likely kills any chance of the United States ever getting the SUV variant if the automaker decides to make one. It's a truck that Kia designed for emerging markets, Korea, and Australia.
However, Kia does plan to launch a different truck in the United States, but it'll be all-electric and ride on a new platform. We don't know when it'll arrive, but Kia believes it'll be able to sell 90,000 of them once production gets rolling, which could be as soon as next year.
Source: CarSales.com.au
