Kia Australia says it’s too early to judge the sales performance of its first ute, the Kia Tasman, because the full lineup is yet to be launched.
Kia has long publicly stated a target of 20,000 annual sales for the Tasman in Australia, a number that would have been good enough for fourth place in 2024 behind the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Isuzu D-Max.
Following its July launch, the Tasman’s current monthly sales average of 625 equates to 7500 sales a year, while its best result of 806 in September would equate to an annual tally of 9672 – still less than half the 20,000 goal.
So far, only dual-cab versions of the Tasman have been released, with cheaper single-cab and cab/chassis derivatives yet to be rolled out.
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“It’s difficult for us to say if we’re happy because at the moment we’ve not totally, fully launched,” Kia Australia’s GM of product planning RolandRivero told CarExpert.
“Not every dealer has taken delivery of a dual-cab cab/chassis, and a lot are waiting on the [cheaper] single-cab cab/chassis, which will be the entry-level point for Tasman,” he explained.
“Tradies like your sparkies, chippies, plumbers and alike tend to favour the cab/chassis, providing them with more customisation and practicality. Furthermore, we’ve only just released the body builder’s guide, which is important for many fleets with specific body build needs, that’s a key addition for Tasman.”
BYD launched its first ute, the Shark 6 plug-in hybrid (PHEV), in a single dual-cab model grade in February, and since then it has proved considerably more popular than the Tasman, averaging 1763 sales a month so far this year.
Kia is also still waiting for a five-star ANCAP safety rating for cab/chassis Tasman models, which is mandated by many corporate and government fleet buyers.
Currently, only 4×4 dual-cab versions of the Tasman have a five-star ANCAP rating, although this does not yet apply to the premium X-Line and X-Pro variants – nor 4×2, single-cab, or double-cab/chassis vehicles.
“We’re still to roll out the price-leader 4×2 single-cab/chassis, where there’s a much bigger opportunity for fleets,” Mr Rivero said.
“Once we add more S and SX cab/chassis body styles, and the body builder’s guide, we’ll start to gain some traction among fleet sales and other buyers.”