Kia Tasman won’t hit 20,000 sales target, exec blames aggressive tactics of rival ute makers, not styling

Kia Australia will nearly with out a doubt fall short of its self-imposed Tasman ute gross sales target of 20,000 deliveries in its first 300 and sixty five days on sale, with a senior model govt mainly chalking the shortfall up to aggressive discounting on other dual-cab utes.

On the nationwide originate of the Tasman in July 2025, Kia Australia chief govt officer Damien Meredith used to be unequivocal that the South Korean model would notch up 20,000 gross sales on the Tasman in its first 300 and sixty five days in the market — asserting this simply wanted to be completed.

“No subject now we dangle in 300 and sixty five days’ time, after we’re together, we are able to be announcing that now we dangle sold 20,000 [Tasmans] due to that is the amount now we desire to salvage,” Meredith talked about.

Having launched mid-300 and sixty five days, the Tasman ute fluctuate has notched up unswerving 3716 deliveries to the tip of November 2025 for a theoretical speed-price of 11,148 gross sales if the present efficiency is extended out to 300 and sixty five days — or about 55 percent of Kia’s aim.

Chasing Vehicles understands that Kia Australia formally agreed to take an roughly one-third allotment of the 60,000 every year manufacturing potential of the Hwaseong, Korea manufacturing facility that builds the Tasman ute.

Rival producers “heavily reliant” on ute gross sales use aggressive tactics, says Kia

Tellingly, Meredith did foreshadow at the Australian originate of the Tasman that — with out reference to the rolled-gold gross sales aim — that Kia would no longer “enact something else foolish to salvage that 20,000 [sales].”

At a media event this month, Kia Australia chief working officer Dennis Piccoli defined that it would right this moment take dramatic steps to drive Tasman gross sales to the logo’s initial target — due to different producers are being hyper-aggressive.

No blame has been assigned to the Tasman’s polarising styling, which the logo sees as tough to some patrons and appealing to others — whereas fleets are largely unconcerned with cosmetics.

“On Tasman, our dreams had been always fairly ambitious. The realities are that the [ute] section has change into a ways more fragmented by powertrains — hybrid and diesel — and the amount of producers which will likely be in it,” he talked about.

“The producers which will likely be in [the ute segment] which will likely be so heavily reliant on their product [are pursuing lower] designate components and ancillary supplies with finance or designate reductions.”

In a no longer-so-thinly veiled swipe at the Ford Ranger and Isuzu D-Max, Piccoli defined that temporarily walking a ways from the 20,000 gross sales target used to be no longer a “wretchedness” for Kia Australia.

While Tasman affords are in the market, Kia doesn’t are desirous to good deal extra

“We’re working by the put we’re desirous to be in 2026 in totality. We’re no longer the Tasman car firm, nor can we’re desirous to be the Carnival car firm. We desire a factual split of vehicles. We want to search out the unswerving mix that makes factual alternate sense,” talked about the Kia operations boss.

“Would possibly maybe maybe we enact 20,000? With out a shadow of a doubt, yes, we can — however can we’re desirous to enter the fray and enact what needs to be completed in talk in self belief to enact it? That is a big query imprint.”

The evidence reveals Kia has at the least in part entered the discounting fray: the classifieds prove vital discounting on undriven demos (up to $8000 off the flagship X-Pro) whereas Kia Australia is offering extra deposit contributions of up to $4000 for Tasman patrons.

Nevertheless, rival producers along with Ford, Isuzu and Mitsubishi — all of whom are more reliant on dual-cab gross sales as a share of total gross sales than Kia — dangle marketed even stronger discounts on their ute items in present months.

While the Tasman supplies a slightly popular four-cylinder diesel engine, the 184kW/600Nm Ford Ranger V6 XLT is right this moment being offered from $64,000 driveaway for ABN holders whereas Kia has maintained nationwide pricing of $70,990 driveaway for the 154kW/440Nm Tasman X-Line.

Like a flash gross sales of Tasman S and SX anticipated to development in 2026

Piccoli defined that inside of Kia records confirmed that the up-spec Tasman X-Line and X-Pro variants are “going slightly properly” however that Kia is “no longer getting our enticing allotment” in the hasty-orientated fragment of the ute market the put it has S, SX and SX+ variants.

Kia Australia expects Tasman gross sales to development in 2026 as hasty transactions right this moment in the pipeline are progressively transformed into onerous orders and then deliveries.

“For the time being, we’re sitting on some orders with bigger fleets and there are lots of organisations, every company and executive, which will likely be trialling the [Tasman] and the feedback has been fairly counseled.

“So, the expectation is that in the indispensable half of of [2026] you’re going to search some vital improvements, and that’s the put the S, SX and SX+ will salvage pleasure from some volume lifts,” talked about Piccoli.

Planners at Kia mediate total gross sales will remain solid for the logo in 2026 and haven’t ruled out the chance that the Tasman will certainly earn 20,000 patrons next 300 and sixty five days — and Piccoli talked about Tasman gross sales will “hockey stick” — or all with out extend lift dramatically “by 2026.”

Kia Tasman dual cab opt-up 2026: costs in Australia

All costs listed are nationwide driveaway costs.

• S 4×2 dual cab opt-up: $46,490
• S 4×4 dual cab opt-up: $fifty three,890
• SX 4×4 dual cab opt-up: $58,490
• SX+ 4×4 dual cab opt-up: $66,490
• X-Line 4×4 dual cab opt-up: $70,990
• X-Pro 4×4 dual cab opt-up: $77,990