Kia South Africa is “conducting all the feasibility studies” ahead of a possible local introduction of the brand’s upcoming new 1-tonne bakkie, which looks set to wear the Tasman badge…
Kia in Australia recently announced plans to unveil its long-rumoured new ladder-frame bakkie in late 2024, with the upcoming contender – which looks likely to wear the Tasman badge – set to be pitched against the likes of the Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger in that market. But what about South Africa?
Well, Kia South Africa has confirmed to Cars.co.za that it’s “currently conducting all the feasibility studies to see whether or not [the new bakkie] will be a viable product for the South African market”.
Though the South Korean firm’s local distributor additionally tells us “no timing of possible introduction is available as yet”, it’s worth noting the new 1-tonne bakkie is slated to launch in fellow right-hand-drive market Australia only at some point in 2025.
While there’s very little official information on the upcoming bakkie, Kia’s division Down Under has released a new television commercial featuring what it describes as 20 of the country’s “most iconic sporting figures”, all gathered in a bar.
In the TV advertisement, the group of sporting legends – ranging from former cricketer Steve Waugh to ex-rugby (league and union) star Wendell Sailor – debate what the Kia bakkie should be named. The short clip contains at least 3 hints that Kia will indeed use the Tasman nameplate: at 00:04, where a newspaper story’s 2nd paragraph uses the moniker; at 00:57, where a dart lands on a map at the Tasman Sea; and at 01:29, where the establishment’s name (seemingly “Hotel Tasman”) is conveniently cropped.
Reports from May 2023 suggest the bakkie is known internally as the “TK” series and that it will be produced in South Korea. It apparently rides on an all-new body-on-frame chassis and will be offered in both single- and double-cab body styles (the latter catering to the all-important leisure market).
What about engine options? Well, for now, all we know – based on those earlier reports – is that the Kia bakkie will likely be available with turbodiesel power. Of course, we’ve already written extensively about some of the powertrain options currently available to the South Korean firm, including its familiar 2.2-litre, 4-cylinder oil-burner (which makes 148 kW and 440 Nm in other applications).
There’s also a 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel unit, which powers the Mohave large SUV offered in South Korea, delivering 191 kW and 560 Nm in that domestic-market model. This engine, of course, would allow the Kia bakkie to go toe-to-toe with the 6-cylinder oil-burning versions of the Ranger and closely related Volkswagen Amarok.
Of course, Kia SA already has a presence in South Africa’s light-commercial vehicle space, where it markets its K-Series workhorse trucks (the K2700 and K2500), which are available in chassis cab, dropside and tipper forms. From where we’re sitting, the upcoming Tasman looks like a no-brainer for Kia South Africa, though – as Mazda found out with its now-discontinued BT-50 – it’s certainly no easy task for imported bakkies to compete with the locally built stalwarts…
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