Photo: theottle / Drive / Which Car
The pickup truck sector is about to get even more crowded, as South Korean automaker Kia is preparing to launch its first open-bed truck with a body-on-frame construction for worldwide markets.
Rumored and spied on numerous occasions, the new model from Kia has recently put on the thickest camouflage clothes it could find as it started winter testing – but our spy photographer partners were on point, and they didn't miss the opportunity to check it out alongside its companion, an attractive orange Ford Ranger Raptor. Obviously, that gives us a few hints to work with.
As per the previous reports, the new Kia model could be dubbed 'Tasman' when it goes on sale sometime later in 2024 or early next year, and its formidable body-on-frame credentials could arrive courtesy of its relationship with the second-generation Kia Mohave (Borrego). For a long time, the rumor mill and the imaginative realm of digital car content creators have thought it will also borrow its design – note the set of renderings depicting a dark blue pickup truck in the gallery attached to the article.
However, recent unofficial updates on the Tasman story have prompted various publications to change the envisioned design to something more unique. For example, the good folks over at Drive Australia and Which Car (also from the Land Down Under) have asked pixel master Theottle and digital creator Mike Stevens to help them picture the new Kia model based on the heavily camouflaged prototypes spied somewhere in freezing Sweden.
Theottle created the renderings of the light blue Kia Tasman alone for Drive and, together with Mike Stevens, worked on the orange version for Which Car – both depicting a pickup truck that's equal parts stylish, modern, tough, and quirky. This could be Kia's best way to set itself aside from the bulk of pickup trucks currently on the market – a whacky design that everyone will easily remember.
As for the details on the pickup truck, it is currently unknown if Kia will build a full-size or medium-sized pickup truck, but it's safe to assume the latter case due to the Ford Ranger Raptor used for benchmarking. That way, it could fight almost every international foe – the new Mitsubishi Triton in Asia and Australia, the best-selling Ranger in Europe, and the ultra-popular Toyota Tacoma in North America.
Now, all that remains to see is if any of these renderings were spot on with the design and what Kia has in store for the cockpit and powertrains. Hopefully, we will even see a variant that can take on the mighty Ranger Raptor, which boasts up to 405 horsepower thanks to its 3.0-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 in North American specification. Kia does have a potential candidate for high-performance mid-size pickup truck greatness – the fresh electric supercharged 3.5-liter V6 unit packing up to 409 horsepower.
As per the previous reports, the new Kia model could be dubbed 'Tasman' when it goes on sale sometime later in 2024 or early next year, and its formidable body-on-frame credentials could arrive courtesy of its relationship with the second-generation Kia Mohave (Borrego). For a long time, the rumor mill and the imaginative realm of digital car content creators have thought it will also borrow its design – note the set of renderings depicting a dark blue pickup truck in the gallery attached to the article.
However, recent unofficial updates on the Tasman story have prompted various publications to change the envisioned design to something more unique. For example, the good folks over at Drive Australia and Which Car (also from the Land Down Under) have asked pixel master Theottle and digital creator Mike Stevens to help them picture the new Kia model based on the heavily camouflaged prototypes spied somewhere in freezing Sweden.
Theottle created the renderings of the light blue Kia Tasman alone for Drive and, together with Mike Stevens, worked on the orange version for Which Car – both depicting a pickup truck that's equal parts stylish, modern, tough, and quirky. This could be Kia's best way to set itself aside from the bulk of pickup trucks currently on the market – a whacky design that everyone will easily remember.
As for the details on the pickup truck, it is currently unknown if Kia will build a full-size or medium-sized pickup truck, but it's safe to assume the latter case due to the Ford Ranger Raptor used for benchmarking. That way, it could fight almost every international foe – the new Mitsubishi Triton in Asia and Australia, the best-selling Ranger in Europe, and the ultra-popular Toyota Tacoma in North America.
Now, all that remains to see is if any of these renderings were spot on with the design and what Kia has in store for the cockpit and powertrains. Hopefully, we will even see a variant that can take on the mighty Ranger Raptor, which boasts up to 405 horsepower thanks to its 3.0-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 in North American specification. Kia does have a potential candidate for high-performance mid-size pickup truck greatness – the fresh electric supercharged 3.5-liter V6 unit packing up to 409 horsepower.
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