BOO, IT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE THE KIA TASMAN PICKUP WILL MAKE IT TO EUROPE

Looks like the Kia Tasman – the brand’s first ever pickup truck – won’t be sold in Europe. Booo.

“It’s not in the product plans at the moment, no,” said David Hilbert, marketing director for Kia Europe, when TG quizzed him on the Tasman. “Particularly with that vehicle wrap that they showed it in recently. We don't want it in that.”

Brutal. We actually quite liked the funky, Aussie-inspired ‘camouflage’ wrap that Kia released the other day in collaboration with artist Richard Boyd-Dunlop. The rather out-there look is just to hide the design of Kia’s prototypes in testing though – don’t expect it to actually look like that when the final thing makes production.

The decision to not take the Tasman in Europe is likely down to emissions regs, although interestingly it doesn’t mean that Kia won’t branch out into the commercial vehicle lineup on our shores. In fact, the Korean carmaker confirmed back in 2022 it was working on a fleet of electric vans that it calls PBVs (Purpose Built Vehicles), and it showed off initial plans for the PV1, PV5 and PV7 at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). 

Kia has previously admitted that it wants to be a leader in the segment by 2030, with a new factory being built in Hwaseong that will eventually be able to put together up to 150,000 commercial vehicles per year. 

“We've obviously confirmed that PBV is coming. So we'll have vans in Europe,” says Hilbert.

So yes, Kia will soon launch proper Ford E-Transit and VW ID. Buzz Cargo rivals. Any chance of those vans gaining some seats to aid the MPV comeback in Europe?

“Will MPV's come back? I'm not sure,” says Hilbert. “I think people like the SUV design language. I think it's much more aspirational. In the past, you didn't buy an MPV because you wanted one. You bought it because you needed one. 

“I think with SUVs, people want them, so that's why we try and exploit that typography a bit more. But having said that, you know, maybe PBV offers a solution in the future. I don't know, but we don't have any plans as such for a new MPV.”

2024-05-02T04:15:27Z dg43tfdfdgfd