1 week ago
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South Korean car elephantine Kia volition yet articulation the booming double-cab ute conception with an all-new exemplary coming to Australian showrooms successful 2025.
The top-selling Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger utes volition soon person a caller challenger successful Australia.
Kia has contiguous told dealers successful a confidential briefing it volition person a double-cab ute successful Australian showrooms successful 2025.
Limited accusation was shared with dealers during the biggest gathering of the year, nevertheless they were advised successful wide presumption what customers tin expect.
Kia dealers successful Australia were told to expect a "genuine and superior rival" to the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger, which person been the top-two selling vehicles successful Australia for the past six years successful row.
The as-yet unnamed Kia ute volition apt supercharge the brand's income successful Australia aft it overtook its South Korean sibling Hyundai for the archetypal clip successful Australia past twelvemonth – and continues to pb its in-house rival truthful acold this year.
Dealers were told Australia has been astatine the centre of the improvement of the Kia ute, and the task has been underway since 2020.
For present it remains unclear whether Hyundai volition follow a mentation of this conveyance – fixed the companies stock galore models but with antithetic bodywork – oregon spell successful its ain direction.
As antecedently reported by Drive, portion Kia intends to tackle the heavy-duty diesel-powered double-cab ute marketplace successful Australia – 1 of the fastest-growing segments locally – Hyundai dealers person been advised the institution is exploring the anticipation of the Santa Cruz light-duty "lifestyle" pick-up.
Kia dealers were told the exemplary codification of the company's caller ute is 'TK', but for present the sanction it volition deterioration successful showrooms is yet to beryllium announced.
According to accusation shared with dealers astatine the conference, the caller Kia pick-up volition person the aforesaid towing and carrying capableness arsenic the top-selling utes locally. That means a maximum tow standing of up to 3500kg, and a maximum payload of up to 1000kg.
It is unclear which engines volition powerfulness the caller model, nevertheless dealers were told the conveyance volition usage diesel, not petrol propulsion.
This could mean the 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel successful the existent Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe household SUVs, oregon a mentation of the 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder turbo-diesel successful the Genesis GV80 luxury SUV.
An electrical mentation whitethorn follow, fixed Kia caput bureau has antecedently confirmed it is developing 2 electrical pick-ups, though they whitethorn beryllium antithetic sizes to the 1 Australia is getting.
Bucking the manufacture inclination of forming partnerships – specified arsenic the jointly-developed Isuzu D-Max and Mazda BT-50, and Ford Ranger and Volkswagen Amarok – Kia has elected to spell it alone.
This means it has done much exhaustive investigating connected this conveyance than immoderate different that precedes it successful the Kia range; and it has bought a fleet of Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger vehicles to usage arsenic benchmarks passim the engineering program.
Even though the top-secret Kia ute has been successful improvement for 3 and a fractional years, fewer spy photos person emerged.
The archetypal glimpse of the caller Kia pick-up – which volition besides debut a caller heavy-duty ladder-frame chassis for the institution – appeared connected South Korean social-media websites successful November 2022.
Spy photos person shown camouflaged prototypes which look to get plan cues from from the Kia Mohave SUV successful South Korea.
However these whitethorn beryllium aboriginal trial "mules" built utilizing existing parts to screen the underpinnings of the caller model, and truthful we are yet to spot immoderate clues astir the last design.
A fig of Kia dealers canvassed by Drive said a double-cab ute is "long overdue", and noted that the marque is acceptable to instrumentality the adjacent measurement successful its maturation successful Australia.
While a fig of dealers shared their excitement astir the confidential Kia ute, for present Kia caput bureau remains tight-lipped astir the project.
However, the institution has acknowledged it volition participate the pick-up marketplace astatine immoderate constituent successful the adjacent fewer years.
"Kia is presently processing a aboriginal pickup motortruck exemplary that volition beryllium highly susceptible and acceptable for purpose. Additional details volition beryllium confirmed successful owed course."
Joshua Dowling has been a motoring writer for much than 20 years, spending astir of that clip moving for The Sydney Morning Herald (as motoring exertion and 1 of the aboriginal members of the Drive team) and News Corp Australia. He joined CarAdvice / Drive successful 2018, and has been a World Car of the Year justice for much than 10 years.
