Kia Admits Tasman Is Struggling and Promises Changes Are Coming

If you've walked past a Kia Tasman on a Perth dealership forecourt lately and wondered why it keeps sitting there, you're not alone. Kia's own executives are asking the same question — and they've now gone on record admitting the ute isn't hitting the mark.

Spencer Cho, Kia's head of global business planning, told Australian media in South Korea that the brand is "not satisfied yet" with the Tasman's performance and has confirmed "countermeasures" are in the works. That's corporate speak for: changes are coming, sooner than expected.

How Far Behind Is the Tasman?

The sales numbers are stark. In the most recent monthly figures, just 320 Tasmans were sold across Australia — compared to 3,661 Ford Rangers, 2,835 Toyota HiLuxes, and 2,195 Isuzu D-Maxes. That's being outsold by the Ranger alone at a ratio of more than 11 to one.

For WA buyers, those numbers mean something. The Ranger and HiLux dominate everything from Pilbara work sites to weekend runs down to the South West. The Tasman launched with genuine ambitions to crack that market — Kia had been targeting 20,000 sales nationally in its first 12 months and a fourth-place finish in the ute segment. Those targets have since been quietly shelved.

Kia has also just cut Tasman prices by up to $14,000 as a limited-time deal to move 2025-produced stock that has piled up at dealers. If you're shopping for a ute right now, that's a real opportunity — but it also signals how much ground the Tasman has to recover.

What Changes Are Actually Planned?

Cho was careful not to give specific details, but the direction is clear. Kia is working on both short-term and mid-term fixes simultaneously.

The big structural update — a proper facelift capable of significantly altering the Tasman's appearance — is expected around 2028, roughly three years after launch. But Cho confirmed smaller changes are being prepared now, well ahead of that milestone.

Those near-term updates could include revisions to plastic exterior components like bumper inserts and wheel arch cladding — cheaper and faster to change than stamped metal panels — as well as potential improvements to emissions performance from the turbo-diesel, possibly through stop-start technology already standard on the Ranger and HiLux. That last point matters in WA, where fuel prices have been consistently punishing and any real-world efficiency gain counts.

On the powertrain front, Cho confirmed additional engine options are being explored, saying "all the options are on the table." Kia Australia has previously made clear it would prefer a hybrid Tasman over a larger diesel or performance petrol option — and a petrol-electric hybrid does appear to be the most likely addition later in the Tasman's life cycle.

Should WA Buyers Wait or Buy Now?

That depends entirely on what you need the ute for. If the current $14,000 discount puts a Tasman within your budget and the spec suits your use — whether that's towing gear to a Kimberley campsite or daily driving around the northern suburbs — the price cut is genuine and worth taking seriously.

But if the styling has been putting you off, or you've been hoping for a hybrid option, the honest answer is that meaningful changes are still a few years away. The short-term tweaks Kia is hinting at are unlikely to be transformative.

What's clear is that Kia is paying attention to the Australian market specifically — Cho mentioned WA and broader Australian feedback multiple times — and the brand has the resources to respond. The Tasman isn't going anywhere. Whether it can close the gap on the Ranger and HiLux before most WA buyers have already made their decision is the real question.