A V6 twin-turbo-petrol version of the Kia Tasman, and the Prado-fighting ladder-frame 4WD it is expected to underpin, is not yet ruled out, with Kia in Australia suggesting the vehicle’s long model life will allow for enhancements.
The news follows reports out of the USA and Korea that Kia has been spied testing the Tasman with the Stinger’s twin-turbo V6 petrol, sparking suggestions that a true Ranger Raptor rival could be incoming.
Asked whether a hardcore Raptor-rivalling variant could be part of the Tasman’s product cycle, Kia Australia’s GM of Product Planning, Roland Rivero, told CarsGuide: “Look, TK (the internal model code for Tasman) will have a long model life, and there are going to be plenty of opportunities to look at other ways to take the brand.”
Not a denial, then.
Though Mr Rivero didn’t designate what might be powering it, and was quick to water-down any suggestion such a model would be arriving in the immediate future, reiterating that the Tasman would target what he calls the “80 percent” from launch.
“At this point in time, we’re targeting the big 80 percent,” he says.
“Six cylinder is only 17 percent of the (ute sales) mix. Look at the last two years, six cylinder is sub 20% of the mix.
“It’s still very much a four-cylinder category and diesel. So we believe we’re playing in the big volume area, including body style. And we think that the Tasman, as a result, will be able to hit our sales aspirations accordingly.”
It also appears that long model life will spawn a 4WD SUV variant, with Kia in Australia saying it would “love” a ladder-frame SUV with real off-road credentials, and will be “negotiating hard” to get one.
“We’d love one. But with Mohave already developed, and I know Mohave is a fairly old product now, but at this point in time globally you need a strong global case, not just an Australian business case,” Rivero says.
“So we’d love to spawn a ladder-frame SUV, like an Everest competitor, out of that same (Tasman) platform. And theoretically you could, but it is something that we still have to negotiate hard with headquarters.”