Kia Tasman Pickup Truck Off to a Fast Start
Kia’s new mid-sized pickup truck, the “Tasman,” has made a strong debut in South Korea, securing over 4,000 contracts within approximately one month of its launch. This early success represents a significant achievement, accounting for 30% of all domestic pickup truck sales in the previous year.
Industry data, released on the 9th, indicates that the Tasman had already surpassed 4,000 contracts as of March 7th. The vehicle was launched in the Korean market on February 13th, with a notable 2,200 units contracted on the first day alone.
Market Expansion Potential
The Tasman’s promising start has fueled anticipation for the growth of the overall domestic pickup truck market. According to the Korea Automobile Mobility Industry Association (KAMA), domestic automakers sold a total of only 13,475 pickup trucks last year. This figure represents a considerable decrease from the 42,619 units sold in 2019.
The reduction in market size is largely attributed to the limited number of available sales models. Currently, only KG Mobility and GM Korea offer pickup trucks in the domestic market. These available vehicles include the GM Colorado, Sierra, and KG Mobility’s Rexton Sports.
Considering the high price point of the Sierra, which sells for as much as 100 million won, the Rexton Sports is the only volume model available currently. Rexton Sports accounted for 94% of last year’s sales. Although the Colorado offered a more accessible price range of around 30 million won, sales for the model declined to only 360 units last year after the 2024 model was released at 70 million won.
The Kia Tasman is positioned as a competitive option with a starting price of 37.5 million won. Despite being nearly 8 million won higher than Rexton Sports’ starting price of 29.52 million won, the Tasman is still at a competitive price that can serve as volume model.
