Kia Australia says it is "encouraged" by early interest in its controversially-styled Tasman ute, and is committed to its target of selling 20,000 next year.
Nearly 2000 Australian customers have placed a pre-order for the 2025 Kia Tasman ute ahead of its showroom arrival in July.
If all convert to firm orders, it will account for a fifth of the deliveries Kia hopes to make by the end of this year, ahead of a target of 20,000 annual Tasman sales from 2026.
Kia says it is happy with the number of pre-orders it has collected – given customers are yet to see or test-drive the car – and it is committed to its sales target, which will see about one in four Tasmans built for global markets reach Australia.
"We've always said around 10 per cent or 20,000 per annum," Kia Australia head of product Roland Rivero told Drive.
"For this calendar year, we're looking at about half of that because we've only got half a year's worth, but as an ongoing running rate, 20,000 a year."
In the Tasman's first full year in global showrooms – 2026 – Kia aims to sell 80,000 examples, or a 6 per cent share of the "C-segment" (HiLux and Ranger-sized) ute class.
Dean Norbiato, Kia Australia marketing chief, says the brand is pleased with the number of pre-orders, considering it's a car that isn't available for test drives and isn't yet in dealerships.
"Without [buyers] seeing the product [in the metal], without customers physically feeling, touching, sitting in the product, we're really encouraged by the early interest," he told Drive.
"Then talking from a marketing standpoint, the web traffic so far in general interest has been like no other vehicle that we've had.
"The next step for us is to get the thing to launch, get it into dealerships and get bums on seats because I think that's when the real excitement of the product is going to take over. Seeing is one thing, but sitting in it is when we feel people become believers in the product."
A goal of 10,000 deliveries in 2025 would give the Tasman about a 4 per cent share of the ute market, and a quarter of global Tasman production heading Down Under would likely make Australia the biggest market for the model.
Pricing for the Tasman will start at $42,990 plus on-road costs for the S 4x2 base model, stretching to $74,990 plus on-road costs for the top-of-the-line X-Pro 4x4.
Zane Dobie comes from a background of motorcycle journalism, working for notable titles such as Australian Motorcycle News Magazine, Just Bikes and BikeReview. Despite his fresh age, Zane brings a lifetime of racing and hands-on experience. His passion now resides on four wheels as an avid car collector, restorer, drift car pilot and weekend go-kart racer.
