Kia May Soon Have An Answer To The 4Runner And Bronco
The Kia Tasman is a midsize pickup with styling that not everyone will gel with, and which is off-limits to American buyers for the time being. However, its eccentricity in the styling department may not negatively impact its future prospects for diversification, according to a report from Australia’s Carsales. When asked by the publication whether a Kia Tasman-based SUV could be openly discussed, Kia Australia Chief Engineer for Ride and Handling Graeme Gombold answered the question directly: “Three years down the track.” That means a new Toyota 4Runner rival could reach dealer floors by 2029.
An SUV Is Just One Way The Tasman Could Grow
Kia
Gambold’s job is to fine-tune Kia suspensions for the specific demands of the Australasian region and its roadways, so it follows that the engineer would know what’s coming down the pipeline. However, this new SUV, and other potential incarnations of the Tasman, first depend on the base vehicle achieving success, as the brand’s marketing boss, Dean Norbiato, was quick to point out.
“If Tasman is a success, then it will open many doors, so let’s get Tasman right first,” said the executive. “Once we get that right, then we can go from there. Let us take a breath; the media was asking for a ute [pickup truck] for 10 years.” So it’ll be some way off if it happens, but clearly, Kia knows it’s worth exploring, and suggesting that “many doors” can be opened indicates there may be other applications for the truck.
Chances Of An American Tasman SUV
Kia
Kia’s American arm offers the Sportage and Sorento, but neither of those is constructed atop a body-on-frame architecture, which means there is still a gap in the U.S. market that Kia could potentially fill, offering something to compete with the Ford Bronco and Toyota 4Runner. However, as noted at the outset, the Tasman’s chances of arrival in America seem slim, and if that’s not arriving, would it be worth tweaking the eventual SUV? Perhaps not, but the good news is that Kia is bringing a pickup of some sort to our shores, and there’s no reason to believe that truck can’t someday spawn an SUV that fits right into a gap in the U.S. market.