Kia Tasman trademark in line for new ute

The upcoming Kia dual-cab ute may be known as the Kia Tasman, if a new trademark filing proves accurate.

The South Korean car giant has filed to protect the ‘Tasman’ name with a number of global patent offices – including Australia and New Zealand – for a range of motor-vehicle categories including “automobiles” and “trucks”.

It is not uncommon for car companies to file trademarks for potential model names in case they want to use them at a later date – and the presence of a trademark is not confirmation of a new model.

However, the Tasman name is a natural fit for the 2025 Kia ute, as Drive has previously reported Australia is at the centre of its development – and is expected to be a top market for the new pick-up.

MORE: 2025 Kia ute confirmed for Australia

Tasman is likely to be derived from the Tasman Sea that separates Australia and New Zealand, itself named after Dutch explorer Abel Tasman who was the first known European to cross it.

Abel Tasman was also the first European to land on the shores of Tasmania, its modern name applied from 1855 as a reference to the explorer.

It is unclear if the Tasman name is a placeholder, or the final badge planned for the ute.

Kia is yet to confirm the name of its upcoming pick-up, or comment on the trademark.

As reported by Drive last month, Kia dealers have been advised to expect a “genuine and serious rival” for the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux in 2025, with diesel rather than petrol power.

Dealers were told development of the ute has been underway since 2020 – with Australia at the centre – and that it would use a new ladder-frame chassis for the South Korean car giant.

According to the information shared with dealers, the Kia ute is targeted to have the same towing capacity and payload as the top sellers in the ute category, which means a 3500kg braked tow rating, and a payload of up to 1000kg.

The engine the new vehicle will use is unclear, however dealers were advised it will launch with diesel, rather than petrol propulsion.

Kia has seemingly elected to develop its new ute alone, rather than form a partnership with another company – as with the jointly-developed Isuzu D-Max and Mazda BT-50 twins, and the new Ford Ranger and Volkswagen Amarok.

It is not clear if Hyundai is planning its own version of the new ladder-frame diesel ute, or if it go in its own direction – as it has to date with the family SUV-based Santa Cruz ‘lifestyle’ ute sold in the US.

The post Kia Tasman trademark in line for new ute appeared first on Drive.