Since the design of the Kia Tasman When it was first leaked, there were rumors of a Crash redesign. Now pictures of something could The ute’s facelift has been revealed on a company website.
Two digital renderings of a redesigned Tasman have appeared on the Kia Special Vehicles page, showing military capabilities and modifications for the company’s first passenger-oriented pickup truck.
Both the military command vehicle and the military pickup truck (above and below) feature bodywork that is visibly reminiscent of Tasman, but with far more conventional designs for the grille, headlights, fenders, wheel arch guards and doors.
Although the two renders are similar, they actually feature different designs, most noticeable in the headlight graphics, wheel arch flares, and fenders. They also feature complete door designs, both with different rear window treatments.
Given that the images on the site have been online for at least two days at the time of writing and no one has removed them, this suggests that these renders are unlikely to be an indication of a future facelift.
The images may be based on unsuccessful design submissions for the Tasman. However, they are more likely to be AI generated.
Interestingly, the other military example vehicles shown on the site are based on the existing Tasman body and are marked with the text “For illustrative purposes only”.
While these renderings suggest a redesign is in the works, history tells us that it will be at least a year or two before a revised Tasman body rolls off the production line and into showrooms.
For example, it took three years for the AU Falcon and its New Edge design to transform into the conventionally attractive BA. Likewise, it took four years for the third-generation jellybean Ford Taurus to receive a less controversial front, rear and interior design.
Sales of Tasman got off to a slow start: 2499 copies have been sold since release, averaging 625 per month. Its best sales result came in September, when 806 examples were sold, placing it seventh in the combined 4×2 and 4×4 ute segment.
That’s still significantly less than the 1,667 sales the Tasman needs to achieve to reach its sales target of 20,000 units per year.
Publicly, Kia Australia says it is not worried about the Tasman’s sales, with the range currently limited to dual-cab models, although discounts and additional equipment are available on the X-Line until the end of October.
MORE: Explore the Kia Tasman showroom
