Kia Tasman Pickup Truck Teaser Coming Soon

We'll get our first look at the Kia's pickup truck soon, according to the South Korean brand's design boss. Karim Habib spoke to the Australian publicationCarSalesat Kia's EV day, where new products like the EV3 and EV4 made their debut.

"I think you'll get a peek pretty soon," said Karim Habib when asked about progress regarding the rugged pickup truck. And it will be rugged because Kia will not be using the Hyundai Santa Cruz as a donor car. Instead, Kia is using itsbody-on-frame Mohaveas the basis for the truckexpected to be called the Tasman.

We've also seenspy images of the Tasman, and it's not a tiny unibody truck like the Hyundai. Kia definitely has the Ford Ranger, Toyota Tacoma, and Chevrolet Colorado in its crosshairs.

Sharing a platform with the Mohave could have also made the design process much easier. Kia could have kept the front of the car the same and bolted a bed to the rear, but that's apparently not going to happen.

According to Habib, the modern design cues found on the EV3, EV5, and EV9 will be used on the Tasman. Kia's "Opposites United" design philosophy is relatively controversial, but at least it's interesting. "Our role as designers is to serve the brand and serve customers," said Habib. "We design products for people to use within the framework of our brand. So design has to have those attributes, and that automatically creates a family look."

Truck design has become somewhat formulaic in recent years, so a Ranger-sized pickup with styling borrowed from the controversialEV9would definitely stand out in a Walmart parking lot.