Kia stands by slow-selling Tasman ute: “We have got to make it work”

Kia’s native boss is standing by the Tasman ute, saying “we’ll proceed to work exceptionally laborious to be sure that it’s a success within the Australian market”.

Talking with media on the launch of the brand new EV4 electrical sedan, CEO for Kia Australia – Damien Meredith – obtained on the subject of Tasman earlier than journalists had an opportunity to deliver it up.

“Very first thing I wish to say about Tasman is that we have nice religion in Tasman as a product, and we’ll proceed to work exceptionally laborious to be sure that it’s a success within the Australian market,” Mr Meredith mentioned.

“We’re not making or on the lookout for excuses with regard to its sluggish begin. It is solely been in the marketplace for seven months, it hasn’t been in market in seven years. We have got numerous work to do, and we all know that it is an ideal product and it’ll work throughout the Australian market.

“You are additionally conscious that Australia requested for this product – so we do should make it work,” Mr Meredith added.

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After launching in July 2025, the Tasman notched up 4196 registrations throughout 4×2 and 4×4 variants. On the present fee, the Tasman will not even hit 10,000 gross sales after the primary 12 months of being on sale, which is lower than half of the Korean model’s preliminary projections for its first dual-cab ute.

Including extra ache is the very fact two of the highest three automobiles bought in Australia final 12 months have been dual-cab utes – the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux – which each eclipsed 50,000 items for the calendar 12 months, or greater than 5 occasions that of the Tasman.

Simply a few months in the past a few of Kia’s native executives informed CarExpert entry-level, fleet-focused variants hadn’t began as strongly as the corporate hoped, with a renewed give attention to fleet enterprise shifting into the brand new 12 months.

“We are able to see the place we’re lacking out. (We) see how our X-series (X-Line, X-Professional) automobiles are going, and the value factors they sit at, they’re going comparatively properly. We see a niche within the (entry-level) S vary, we’re not getting our fair proportion there, the place the opposite manufacturers appear to be taking part in fairly properly and getting numerous quantity,” Dennis Piccoli, COO of Kia Australia mentioned throughout a Q&A.

“That partially is because of the fleet content material with Tasman just isn’t the place it must be, however that’s coming collectively. I believe you’ll see with Tasman is there can be a hockey stick (in gross sales efficiency) by way of 2026, with no shadow of a doubt.

“On Tasman, our objectives have been at all times fairly bold. The truth is, that (dual-cab ute) phase has turn out to be way more fragmented,” Mr Piccoli continued.