KIA Australia’s senior administration staff says it has been “vocal” about its need so as to add a ute-based three-row SUV to its ranks, based mostly on the new-generation Tasman ute’s underpinnings.
The hardcore dual-cab pick-up truck has solely simply been revealed, but it surely has been within the works for years – and like many ladder-chassis, body-on-frame fashions, there’s potential to adapt the platform to create a extra family-focused SUV mannequin, akin to the Ford Everest, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and Isuzu MU-X.
Kia Australia basic supervisor of product planning Roland Rivero stated the model is keen so as to add a mannequin such because the aforementioned 4×4 wagons to its vary, ought to one thing like that change into broadly accessible.
“Look, I believe we’ve been fairly vocal,” he stated in regards to the model’s need for a extra rugged three-row mannequin to take a seat alongside the Sorento seven-seater.
“We’ve stated we might like to see (an SUV based mostly on the Tasman platform) – simply trying on the success of the Everest, for instance, it’d be nice,” Mr Rivero stated.
“We’ve obtained our hand up for one, if it was determined – globally – to develop it. They usually requested for Australia’s opinion; we might like to carry one in.
“However there’s much more than simply Australia (that) influences these choices, so we would want the collective areas to additionally need it.”
Kia has provided the Mojave ladder-frame mannequin in some markets, but it surely has by no means been in-built right-hand drive.
The brand new Tasman ute carries over a brand new model of the venerable 2.2-litre turbo diesel four-cylinder engine seen within the Sorento, with 154kW and 441Nm – lower than many rival utes.
However, Kia says, the extra transmission cooling and reworked gearbox calibration for the Tasman permits the inflexible new truck to deal with as much as 3500kg braked towing, in addition to a payload in extra of 1000kg for all fashions at launch.
The three-row ute-based SUV phase is robust in 2024, with the primary three-quarters of the yr seeing the Ford Everest dominate with 18,613 gross sales, up virtually 80 per cent year-to-date. It’s adopted by the soon-to-be-updated Isuzu MU-X (14,228 YTD), and 5901 items for the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, year-to-date.
Kia’s softer Sorento SUV has additionally seen a powerful gross sales yr to this point, with 7748 automobiles bought to the tip of September, on the again of a current facelift for that family-focused soft-roader.
