Kia ventures into new territory as Tasman pickup truck makes global debut

Kia's mid-size pickup truck, the Tasman, made its global debut in Saudi Arabia, featuring a rugged, boxy exterior and reclining rear seats in the cab.

Kia CEO Song Ho-sung, second from left, and other Kia executives take a photo with Tasman pickup truck at the Jeddah International Motor Show in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. [KIA]

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — Kia’s Tasman pickup truck made its global debut at the Jeddah International Motor Show in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday as the Korean carmaker pushes for a major breakthrough in the fast-growing Middle Eastern auto market.

The Tasman is the Kia's first-ever pickup truck, building on its off-road prowess as proven by its Telluride SUV.

Kia's Tasman pickup truck, which made its debut at the Jeddah International Motor Show in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. [KIA]

Interior of the Kia's Tasman pickup truck [KIA]

Embracing a boxy design and the brand's flagship tiger-nose front-end styling, the upright windshield and rear glass contribute to a bold silhouette strengthened by the 45-degree angles of the vehicle’s striking stylistic details.

Inside the cab, the Tasman features second-row seats that can recline up to 30 degrees, a world first for mid-size pickup trucks, along with legroom of 37 inches, more spacious than the rival Chevrolet Colorado's 35.8 inches and Ford Ranger's 34.6 inches.

"Building on Kia's lineup of award-winning SUVs, our engineers have raised the bar even further to ensure class-leading performance and safety," said Kia CEO Song Ho-sung during the unveiling event at the motor show Tuesday. "We believe that the Kia Tasman is poised to satisfy a more diverse range of customers."

Kia CEO Song Ho-sung introduces Tasman pickup truck at the Jeddah International Motor Show in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. [KIA]

The Korean pickup truck spent over four years undergoing more than 18,000 examinations of 1,777 categories for various criteria including off-road capabilities, durability and on-track performance in the snowy tundras of Sweden, the scorching deserts of the Australian outback and at Al Qudra Lake in the United Arab Emirates.

This gives all Kia Tasman trim levels the ability to wade through up to 800 millimeters (31.5 inches) of water at a speed of 7 kilometers per hour (4.3 miles per hour), as well as a maximum towing capacity of 3,500 kilograms (7,716 pounds).

Its load capacity stands at 1,173 liters (41 cubic feet), which Kia says is the largest in vehicles of a similar size. A hidden storage bin under the rear seats offers an additional storage capacity of 33 liters.

Kia's booth at the Jeddah International Motor Show in Saudi Arabia. [KIA]

Kia is also offering an X-Pro version, the most extreme model suitable for off-road driving, offering around 28 millimeters more ground clearance than the standard model.

The Tasman will launch in the Korean market in the first half of 2025 with a 2.5-liter gasoline-powered, turbocharged engine option that can generate up to 281 horsepower and 43 kilograms-meter (325 pound-foot) of torque.

The truck has a maximum speed is 185 kilometers per hour and can go from zero to 100 kilometers per hour in only 8.5 seconds.

The Australian market will have a 2.2-liter diesel engine version, while the Middle East and African markets will get both engine options.

Kia aims to sell 100,000 Tasman pickups in 2025, grabbing 5 percent of the global market excluding the U.S. market. The U.S. launch has not been decided yet.

"We will decide on the U.S. launch after reviewing its sales trend in other markets as the U.S. chicken tax is about 25 percent unless we manufacture the vehicles locally," Song said.

With the Tasman’s arrival, Kia is gearing up to expand its presence in Saudi Arabia, the biggest auto market in the Middle East with over 30 percent of the regional market share for automobiles.

Kia is the third largest brand in the country with a market share of 8 percent as of August, behind Toyota Motor’s 28 percent and Hyundai Motor’s 15 percent.

Kia set up a 1,958-square-meter (21,000-square-foot) booth at the annual exhibition, which runs from Oct. 29 to Nov. 2, to display four Tasman pickups and four EVs along with four internal combustion engine vehicles like the K3, K5 and Sorento.

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]