Key Takeaways
- Kia was spied testing a pickup truck in Southern California, believed to be the Tasman.
- The Tasman will compete in the mid-size truck category against popular models like the Toyota Tacoma.
- Kia has a few hurdles to overcome to sell the small truck stateside.
Kia was recently spotted testing a pickup truck wearing heavy camouflage in Southern California that appeared to be the Tasman. While these spy photos, sent to us by Kindel Media, in no way confirm that Kia is planning to sell the pickup truck in the US, they can certainly add some fuel to the fire.
The Kia Tasman, which is bound for Australia and other overseas markets, will compete in the mid-size category against the likes of the Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, Ford Ranger, Nissan Frontier, and the best-seller in the segment, the Toyota Tacoma.
What Is The Tasman?
Kia first teased the Tasman earlier this year, with a launch date slated for 2025. The mid-size truck was teased for Australia, which is a huge market for this size pickup (or ute, as they like to call it Down Under). Unlike the Hyundai Santa Cruz, which is based on the same crossover platform as the Tucson, the Tasman will be a ladder frame construction with true 4×4 all-wheel-drive. Kia does not currently sell a body-on-frame vehicle like this in the US, but it does have one in other markets, an SUV called the Mohave.
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The Mohave uses a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 diesel engine, which should appeal to the Australian market if used in the Tasman pickup truck. It produces 253 horsepower and 413 lb-ft of torque, which sounds great, but would never be brought to the US. If the Tasman were to be brought stateside, it would need a gasoline engine.
Will It Sell In The US?
Aside from the engine, which is a major hurdle, the Chicken Tax is still Kia’s largest obstacle to selling a pickup truck in the US. The Chicken Tax comes from a 1963 law that imposed a 25% tariff on imported potato starch, brandy, and light-duty pickup trucks. It was signed by President Lyndon Johnson as retaliation against Europe for tariffs on American chicken exports, and it remains in effect to this day.
Unless Kia found a way to build the Tasman in the US, Canada, or Mexico, there is no chance it could be sold here. Kia currently has one US manufacturing facility in West Point, Georgia, but we doubt it has the production capability to add a truck.
