Kia’s first bakkie, the Tasman, redefines what a bakkie can be – with purposeful design and innovative technology, delivering true practicality. 

With a global launch of the vehicle planned for 2025, what is the fuss about? Kia seems to have listened to the market and brought some innovative ideas to the fore for those who use their vehicle as a mobile office in the week and family car on the weekend. 

Work and play

The KIA Tasman offers unique benefits for those working in the built environment.

The Tasman offers world-first solutions for those seeking a lifestyle vehicle for leisure and outdoor activities, while meeting the needs of small business operators. 

Key features include: 

• Corner steps for easy access to the bin. 
• A load bed equipped with an illuminated power outlet. 
• Sliding cargo floor for easy loading and unloading of materials and equipment. 
• Best-in-class 1 173-litre cargo capability. 
• Advanced Driver Assistance Systems incorporate trailer profile functionality for easier towing.  

WFB 

A best-in-class 1 173-litre cargo capability with a sliding cargo floor ensures easy loading and unloading of materials and equipment.

As many can attest, work from bakkie (WFB) is often the way that those working in the built environment stay in touch while on site or between site visits. Kia has equipped the Tasman’s interior with innovative features and equipment to tap into this need.  

A folding console table for easy laptop use transforms the cab from a work vehicle to a mobile business space. The Tasman also offers dual wireless charging pads and hidden storage bins concealed beneath the rear seats, offering class-leading storage capacity of 33 litres. 

Work from the bakkie is easy with a folding console table, ideal for notebooks and laptops.

Load bed configurations 

The Kia Tasman will be offered with four bed accessory configurations: 

• Single Decker, which features a canopy and butterfly doors for easy access, and a roof rack for a rooftop tent. 
• Double Decker, equipped with butterfly doors and a sliding tonneau cover, offering customisable cargo space. 
• Sports Roll Bar variant, with a functional frame for mounting outdoor lifestyle items. 
• Ladder Rack, featuring a ladder-type rack that is also compatible with rooftop tents. 

“The all-new Kia Tasman presents an exciting new opportunity for Kia globally, and indeed in South Africa,” comments Paul Turnbull, chief executive officer of Kia South Africa. “We are hard at work to make the Tasman’s local introduction a reality, and based on current planning, we aim to do this in the second half of 2025.” 

 

Vehicle specifications	2,5-litre petrol engine	2,2-litre diesel engine
Power	207kW	154kW
Transmission	8-speed AT	8-speed AT or 6-speed MT
Torque	421Nm	441Nm
0-100km/h	8,5 seconds	10,4 seconds
Maximum speed	185km/h	185km/h
Load bed dimensions	Length 1 512mm, width 1 572mm, depth 540mm  1 186mm between the wheels
Maximum payload	1 195kg in 2WD mode
Towing capacity	3 500kg

 

Full acknowledgement and thanks go to https://www.kia.co.za/ for the information in this article.