The trademark for the name was filed in Australia and New Zealand.
Kia has filed for a trademark application for the “Tasman” name in several countries. We aren't sure what this name is for yet, but we reckon it's for the Korean carmaker's upcoming pickup truck, which was previously confirmed for a 2025 launch.
Specifically, the Tasman name was filed in the government trademarking entities of Australia and New Zealand, as discovered by Australian publication CarGuides. The name is especially fitting for these markets since it is shared with the body of water separating the Kiwis and the Aussies.
It is also appropriate for the upcoming truck since the Land Down Under and the Land of the Long White Cloud are known to be huge markets for trucks. There's also the fact that Kia considers Australia to be a keystone territory that will likely get the upcoming model first. But interestingly enough, the same name was also filed by the brand in France and Uruguay.
The trademark application on the Australian Intellectual Property website then shows that it was filed on May 2, 2023, by a South Korean law firm on behalf of Kia. Currently, the entry is awaiting indexing. Other than those details, no other clues regarding the car model were provided by the trademark application entry.
If we went by the previous reports, this upcoming model will allow the Korean brand to break into the pickup truck market where it may even compete against the likes of the Toyota Hilux and the Ford Ranger. If this is the case, then it will be a midsize ladder-frame truck rather than a truck based on a Kia's crossover such as the Sportage.
It's also highly likely that the upcoming Kia truck won't be a rebadged version of the Hyundai Santa Cruz. This is further reinforced by the look of a camouflaged Kia pickup truck test mule which was spotted back in January 2023. It has a double-cab body and looks far heftier than Hyundai's crossover-based truck.
With all that said, a good question to ask is if this upcoming truck will also make its way to the US. And if the Korean marque did that, will it get a different name? Whatever it is, it should be catchy enough, considering how the Ford Maverick has consistently dunked on the Santa Cruz when it comes to sales.
Keyword: Kia Tasman Could Be The Name Of The Kia Truck We're All Waiting For