Kia reveals its arty side with disguised new Tasman ute
Kia has taken the concept of vehicle camouflage to new, artistic heights with the first public unveiling of its all-new Tasman ute.
Car makers the world over have long relied on cleverly crafted camouflage to obscure the look of a new model before its public reveal.
But with public interest growing in Kia’s first Light Commercial Vehicle model growing to a clever advertising campaign featuring a cast of Australian sporting greats, Kia has clearly decided attack is the best form of defence.
The car maker has released images of its bluff-fronted Tasman ute cloaked in a bespoke design by renowned artist Richard Boyd-Dunlop.
Kia said the unique wrap – themed around the concept of ‘The Path Never Taken’ – underscored the Tasman’s adventurous spirit, with the ute’s name chosen from a pool of options for its connection to the Tasman Sea and Abel Tasman, the Dutch explorer who was the first European to discover Tasmania.
Due in 2025, the Tasman is the first Kia product to be bestowed an Australian-inspired name and is now also the first to don Australian-inspired camouflage, with Boyd-Dunlop’s unique graphics symbolising his travels through the untamed beauty of Australia’s diverse landscapes.
Kia Australia’s Chief Executive Officer Damien Meredith said: “We have strong ambitions for Tasman in our market, and the fact that its name has such distinct links to our region is evidence of Kia Australia’s instrumental role in its development and future success.”
The Tasman is designed to go head-to-head with the likes of the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux, and has been developed with a range of work, trade and leisure pursuits in mind. It will be sold in various global markets including Korea, Australia, Africa, and the Middle East.
Kia has not yet released any technical details of the new model, but it’s been widely reported the ute will feature a sturdy, body-on-frame construction with independent front suspension and a load-oriented leaf-sprung, live-axle rear end.
The Tasman is also rumoured to feature a part-time 4x4 system and be powered by a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine mated to an automatic transmission.
Kia confirmed its venture into the local Light Commercial Vehicle market in March of this year, releasing the ‘Kia’s getting a ute’ TVC campaign in which 20 of Australia’s most iconic sporting figures debate what the ute should be named.
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