Why is this Kia Tasman midsize pickup truck prototype testing in California mountains? Is it coming on sale in the United States, or is it simply undergoing high altitude testing? Let’s dig in!
Take a look at this! A TFLtruck viewer caught several Kia prototypes testing at higher elevations near Lake Sabrina in California. Big thanks to Anthony M. for sending us these images.
The Tasman is no longer a secret. Kia has published many official images and videos of the upcoming Tasman pickup truck in various forums and websites. This is a new vehicle for the company that they are putting through a very demanding series of tests. Kia Tasman prototypes have been seen testing in cold winter temperatures of Sweden and in hot temperatures of Middle Eastern deserts.
The company is calling it a Ute, so it appears to be targeting the Australian market. It may be sold in several other regions around the world. This a midsize pickup that should have a very similar capability to the current Toyota Hilux and the Ford Ranger. If it came to the U.S. – it would compete against the popular Toyota Tacoma, Chevy Colorado, Ford Ranger, and many others.
We currently do not expect the Tasman to come to the United States market. One main reason is that it would have to be built somewhere in North America (Canada, USA, or Mexico). We have not received any official word from Kia on whether they plan to build the Tasman in North America and sell it in the United States.
Anthony also noticed what appears to be an early Kia EV9 prototype in camouflage. This is strange because the EV9 has been on sale in the U.S. for some time. Why would there be a camouflaged prototype? Could it be another Hyundai SUV? It does not look like the Ioniq9 electric three-row crossover. What do you think? Did I get it wrong?
While we are learning more details about the Kia Tasman, here is our recent 2024 midsize pickup truck trailer towing battle in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.
