Kia Is Scrambling To Fix 'Disappointing' Tasman Pickup

That has led to massive discounts on the vehicle, but it has also left Kia scrambling to make changes – changes that will happen well before the planned mid-cycle facelift.

Sales Goals Have Been Decimated

When Kia launched the new truck, it expected to sell around 20,000 per year in Australia. That was a very aggressive goal, which would have given it a nearly 10% share of the highly contested Ute market. Last month, Kia sold 320.

Clearly, the company needs to make changes, and it is working to rush them to market. "We are not just looking at the short-term solutions right now. We are working on, right now, on the short-term and the mid-term solutions at the same time," Spencer Cho, Kia head of global business planning, told Australian media outlet Drive.

"We are still in the starting point and we still have a lot of time coming to us," Cho said. "So we will carefully monitor the market, the reactions, and the early disappointment we have in the Australian market that gave us a lot of the good lessons."

Cho didn't spell out exactly what Kia planned to do to help sales, but he said the company is willing to do whatever it thinks will work. "As long as we have the clear market reactions to improve any certain areas, we will go all the way," he said.

The truck's styling, which sets it apart from any other truck on the market, has been controversial to say the least. Kia couldn't do much to change the shape before the 2028 refresh, but it could change some of the details.

Exterior plastic parts, like the bumper inserts and the fender flares, could be changed quickly and relatively easily. Small changes to textures and colors could make a big difference to the truck's looks. See the later Pontiac Aztek or Chevrolet Avalanche with painted cladding for two excellent examples of small moves having a large impact.

Kia executives have said they want a hybrid in the lineup to deliver better fuel economy. That was before the hikes in fuel prices over the past months, so that desire is probably higher than ever. Cho said "all options are on the table" when it comes to powertrains.

Kia Is Getting Its 'Countermeasures' Ready

"Kia Australia is getting a lot of the feedback from the media, the dealers, and also the actual customers, he said. "So we are collecting all those, the feedback from any way of means. We are preparing for the countermeasures, which we make the improvement of the competitiveness of the Tasman."

Instead of a 9% share, the Tasman has managed just a 2.1% share. While Kia sold 320 last month, Ford sold 3,661 Ranger pickups and Toyota moved 2,835 Hilux trucks. To try and help move built-up inventory, Kia has added accessory packs, finance offers, and then big cash discounts.

Drive reports that Kia has cut up to $14,000 (USD $10,000) from the price of a Tasman X-Pro. That brings it down to $64,990 (USD $46,000) after taxes and fees. That makes the starting price for the top trim of the truck a match for the most basic work-spec Ranger Ford offers in the country.

It could be a long few years for the truck as Kia scrambles to make changes that will appeal to buyers for the refresh in 2028. It will be interesting to see what Kia does, and to see what direction it sends Hyundai as that company and Kia develop pickups for the equally competitive US market.

The Tasman Might not Arrive, but a Kia Pickup is Still on the Way

To the disappointment of some American truck buyers — or maybe relief, to some, after reading about how unwell it was received by its Australian audience — the Kia Tasman will not reach American shores. However, Kia isn't giving up on bringing a body-on-frame pickup truck to our market. It will likely be related to the existing Tasman, but it will not be a direct copy. Kia recently announced its intentions to bring a Ranger/Tacoma/Frontier competitor to market with hybrid (HEV) and even extended-range electric (EREV) variants by 2030.

Since it's gunning to be a body-on-frame model to compete in the midsize truck market, it won't have anything to do with the Hyundai Santa Cruz, which uses a unibody platform shared with the popular Tucson SUV. Whatever truck the automaker brings to the U.S. market will certainly stir the industry with lower pricing than its rivals, and possibly an X-Pro trim to compete off-road.