Peek at Kia Tasman ute coming “pretty soon”

South Korean car giant Kia has indicated a sneak peek at its upcoming ute is just around the corner.

Alongside the launch of three new electric vehicles, Kia’s global design boss suggested a first glance at the company’s upcoming dual-cab ute is coming “pretty soon”.

“I think you’ll get a peek pretty soon,” Karim Habib told international media in South Korea for the inaugural Kia Electric Vehicle Day.

No other details were shared about Kia’s rival to the Toyota HiLux or Ford Ranger, but Mr Habib suggested the brand’s latest styling language – seen on the new Kia EV5, Concept EV4, and Concept EV3 – will be applied to the Kia ute.

“Well, of course,” Mr Habib told media, when asked about a family resemblance among Kia’s new models.

“We design products for people to use to improve their lives within the framework of our brand. So, design has to have those attributes and that automatically creates a family look.”

Kia representatives have previously told Drive Australia is one of the primary markets for the vehicle – believed to be called the Kia Tasman, based on trademark filings – and it is due to undergo final validation testing and suspension tuning in on local roads to ensure it is suitable to our harsh conditions on- and off-road.

While the ute will be equipped with a diesel engine initially, Kia is also expected to offer an electric ute in the future. However, it’s uncertain whether the electric ute will be based on the same vehicle or a different platform shared with Hyundai.

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