Slow Tasman sales are not a problem, says Kia

Go to Australia says it is too early to judge the sales performance of its first ute Kia Tasmanas the full list has not yet been published.

Kia has long publicly announced a target of 20,000 annual sales of the Tasman in Australia, a figure that would have placed it fourth in 2024 behind the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Isuzu D-Max.

Following its launch in July, its current monthly sales average of 625 equates to 7,500 sales per year, while its best result of 806 in September would equate to an annual figure of 9,672 – still less than half of the 20,000 target.

Only dual cab versions of the Tasman have been launched so far, with cheaper single cab and cab/chassis derivatives yet to be launched.

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“It’s difficult for us to say whether we’re happy because we’re not quite, fully in market at the moment,” says Roland, GM of product planning at Kia AustraliaRivero said Daily Sparkz.

“Not every dealer has received a double cab cab/chassis and many are waiting for the (cheaper) single cab cab/chassis which will be the entry-level model for Tasman,” he explained.

“Industries like your sparkies, chippies, plumbers and the like tend to favor the cab/chassis, which gives them more customization and practicality. Additionally, we’ve just released the Bodybuilder’s Guide, which is important for many fleets with specific bodywork requirements, this is an important addition for Tasman.”

BYD launched its first ute, the Shark 6 plug-in hybrid (PHEV), in a single double-cab model class in February and since then it has enjoyed significantly greater popularity than the Tasman, averaging 1763 sales per month so far this year.