Overview

• Preliminary development of a four-wheel-drive wagon on the Tasman ute’s ladder-frame chassis is underway to challenge Toyota Prado and Ford Everest.
• Formal approval from Kia headquarters in Seoul remains pending and depends on securing production scale across right-hand-drive markets such as South Africa.
• The proposed SUV would initially use the Tasman’s 154 kW/440 Nm 2.2 L turbo-diesel engine, with a hybrid variant likely needed to meet Australia’s NVES emissions rules.
• Additional models—including a potential BEV or PHEV ute and a Hyundai pick-up sharing the same frame—are planned to justify the new chassis investment.
• Plans to import the US-built Telluride have been abandoned after right-hand-drive production proved commercially unviable in Kia’s Georgia plant.