Kia’s ute could be getting a very Australian name

belongs to Kia The upcoming ute, scheduled for 2025, could get an Australian name or, alternatively, a Dutch name.

A trademark filing filed with IP Australia shows Kia has trademarked the Tasman name for a vehicle.

It is the only local Kia trademark to file for a vehicle name in the past 12 months.

The Tasman Sea is, of course, the body of water that separates Australia and New Zealand and is named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, after whom the state of Tasmania is also named.

There’s an Australian connection to the new ute, referred to internally as the TK, as Kia engineers have used our ute-loving market as a testing ground.

It has been benchmarked against the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux and will pack diesel power when it arrives here in 2025.

“Kia is currently developing a future pickup truck model that is highly capable and fit for purpose. Additional details will be confirmed in due course,” said a Kia spokesperson late last month when asked about the ute.

It has the potential to catapult Kia to new heights in the Australian sales charts – potentially overtaking Mazda in the race for second place, behind market leader Toyota.

The company also plans to launch a dedicated electric ute, although it hasn’t confirmed whether it will come here.

Kia has referred to the TK/Tasman as a “strategic model for emerging markets”, and begins development in 2020..

A prototype has been spied testing in Korea disguised in sheet metal from the venerable Mohave body-on-frame SUV.

Whether it indicates the TK/Tasman will offer the same engine as the Mohave is unclear.

In Korea, the Mohave is powered by a 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel engine that produces 189kW and 560Nm – the latter from 1500 to 3000rpm. For reference, the 3.0-litre V6 diesel in the Ranger and Volkswagen Amarok produces 184kW and 600Nm.

The Mohave offers four-wheel drive with electronic low range and multiple terrain modes just like Kia’s other SUVs. An eight-speed auto is standard.

Kia has tuned its latest 3.0-litre diesel to the Euro 6 standard, bringing it in line with emissions regulations that may soon be coming to Australia, and are now coming into effect in other markets around the world. Some utes are now EU6 certified in Australia.

We could see Kia offer multiple engines to hit different price points and regional demand, with the brand’s 2.2-liter four-cylinder turbo-diesel another potential starter.

The commercial version of this engine currently services the Hyundai Staria van, producing 130kW/430Nm and mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.

In the Staria it gets standard all-wheel drive, but it’s unclear whether Kia will stick with this drive or develop a more robust 4WD system like the Mohave.

According to a dealer briefed on the vehicle, Kia has benchmarked the TK against the segment-leading Ranger and HiLux to “achieve towing capacity and payload targets”.

This suggests Kia is working to ensure the TK meets the expected capabilities of a dual-cab car in Australia, meaning a braked towing capacity of 3500kg and a payload of around 1000kg depending on the variant.

It also dismisses the ute as Kia’s version of the softer car-based Hyundai Santa Cruz offered in North America.

According to leaked dealer information, engineers from Kia headquarters have been flown to Australia “multiple times” to experience competitors and local conditions, so you can expect the ute to be adapted to our roads.

The ute segment in Australia may look different by 2025 – Ford has confirmed the Ranger plug-in hybrid will be launched in Europe in 2024, and it may be coming here, while the next Toyota HiLux is expected to arrive around the same time possibly based on the same TNGA architecture- The F underpins the LandCruiser, potentially with hybrid and all-electric options.

Also, the new Mitsubishi Triton and Nissan Navara are on the horizon based on the same underpinnings. Mitsubishi is also working on an electric vehicle to sit alongside the Triton, although it’s unclear if it will come to Australia.

China will also be in the mix, with GWM set to launch the Shanhai Cannon with diesel and hybrid options before the end of 2023, while the larger King Kong Cannon is being considered for the Australian market.

If the Kia company uses the Tasman name, it will not be the first time a vehicle has done so.

The 1970-72 Austin Tasman and Kimberley was a front-wheel drive six-cylinder version of the 1800 “Landcrab”, modified by Leyland Australia to better suit the local market and compete with the Ford Falcon, Holden Kingswood and Chrysler Valiant.

The Tasman was the more affordable of the two, but neither was popular and was replaced by the Leyland P76.