Kia Says Buyers Are Warming Up To Tasman’s Looks

• Kia starts deliveries of the Tasman next year, targeting markets like Australia, Korea and Africa.
• The company says it receives up to 60 expressions of interest in the Tasman in Australia each day.
• The brand aims for 20,000-25,000 annual sales in Australia, hoping to capture 10% of the segment.

The Kia Tasman has stirred up a lot of debate since its recent unveiling, most of it related to its looks. In a segment of the market where most rivals look pretty conventional, Kia went with a far more peculiar design theme for its first pickup and received a considerable amount of flak for it. However, the company says consumers are coming around to the interesting styling.

While recently speaking with members of the Australian media, local Kia general manager of marketing Dean Norbiato said surveys sent out about the Tasman since its unveiling show there’s been a shift in how people feel about it. He says this is reflective in expressions of interest for the truck that have jumped from 15 per day to upwards of 60.

Read: Will Kia’s Tasman Accessories Make You Forget Its Odd Looks?

“You’re all aware of the commentary around launch from an aesthetic standpoint, but we’re really starting to see a narrative shift in terms of opinions,” he told Drive. “A lot of people, the more time they see it and spend with it, we are seeing a separation in opinion from the initial launch. We’ve done some customer research as well. We had a week-long research piece with the Tasman, and in terms of the feedback, we feel we’re confident from a position of overall sales volume targets we have with that model – the product and its specification – that we’re in a good position.”

Norbiato added the Tasman has been better received by those who’ve seen it in person, rather than just online, adding “that’s on us, as a business, to get more in market, and get people familiar with the design. Because it is boxy and it’s big, and the interior in particular is a standout.”

While we’re not entirely convinced the Tasman looks any better in the flesh (at least until we see one ourselves), there’s no doubt that the interior is refreshingly modern for a vehicle like this. As with other Kia models, it features a digital instrument cluster and infotainment screen alongside honeycomb mesh air vents. There are also plenty of chunky parts, including the steering wheel and the inner door handles.

The success of the Tasman will ultimately come down to how many units Kia can sell. In Australia – one of the most important markets for the truck – the brand wants to capture around 10% of local sales in this segment, equating to around 20,000 – 25,000 sales annually.

The Auto World