The Tasman, and a new US-bound electric pick-up will remain Kia's only utes, as the brand confirms it is not looking at a sibling to Hyundai's Santa Cruz.
Hopes for a smaller and less off-road-focused Kia ute to challenge the latest breed of car-derived utes out of the US have been dashed.
Asked by Drive if a Kia ute on a car-derived 'monocoque' platform is being considered, Dong Hoon Kang, the Vice President of Kia's Mid-Large Sized Vehicle Chassis Engineering Design Centre, simply replied: "No."
These vehicles are all in the second half of their life cycles, so – should it change its mind on not offering a car-derived ute – it would make more sense for Kia to use the next-generation Santa Cruz, assuming one comes to showrooms.
Kia's ute plans will instead initially focus on the Tasman, a heavy-duty, ladder-frame diesel pick-up built to challenge the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger in markets such as Australia.
It is due to introduce a second ute next year, a larger electric pick-up aimed at the Rivian R1T and Ford F-150 Lightning, built on a ladder frame in the US to capture the lucrative US market.
The larger offering is not expected to come to Australia, as it is built in the US in a factory not tooled up for right-hand drive.
"We're banking on Tasman. We are happy and confident with Tasman, and we want to stick to ladder frame," Kia Australia general manager of product planning Roland Rivero told Drive.
The illustrations used in this story, created by Theottle, show what a Kia version of the Hyundai Santa Cruz could look like, using cues from the pre-2025 Kia Sportage SUV.
The Hyundai Santa Cruz and its nearest rival, the Ford Maverick, are not sold in Australia, as they are only built in left-hand drive in the US.
The car-derived ute category has been dormant in Australia since the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon bowed out close to a decade ago, albeit with two doors rather than four, and rear- not all-wheel drive.
However, the segment could be revived by an unlikely brand, Chery, which is considering a new monocoque 'lifestyle ute' pitched at family buyers who want ute practicality without heavy-duty towing and off-road capabilities.
Chery Australia chief operating officer Lucas Harris recently told Drive the vehicle, if green-lit for Australia, would offer a payload of 600kg to 700kg, compared to the Tasman's one tonne.
"It's certainly not going to be a tradie vehicle or anything like that," Harris said.
"But for a family that wants to chuck stuff in the tray, a dog in the tray ... or go camping and don't need all of the cost and all of the sacrifices that come with a ladder-frame chassis pick-up, I think that's an interesting option.
"Just look back in the past with recreational utes; a different style, but like [the Ford] Falcon, [Holden] Commodore and [Subaru] Brumby, that sort of stuff."
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
