More features, more utility: Kia's design chief introduces the new Tasman pickup truck

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More features, more utility: Kia's design chief introduces the new Tasman pickup truck

Published: 03 Nov. 2024, 15:21

SARAH CHEA
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SHIN HA-NEE
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Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Karim Habib, global head of design at Kia, speaks during an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily on the sidelines of the Jeddah International Motor Show in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 29. [KIA]

[INTERVIEW]

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — Every element of the Kia Tasman, the brand’s first-ever pickup truck, is designed to offer ultimate utility along with off-road prowess in an attempt to separate itself from the market with more distinctive features.

“With a stronger off-road character, I wanted to combine utility, as Kia is the brand with a history of utility,” said Karim Habib, global head of design at Kia, during an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily on the sidelines of the Jeddah International Motor Show on Oct. 29, where the pickup made its global debut.

“What was very important for us to learn and understand is how to create something different and unique that stands out but that can also be accepted as a pickup truck, something that can be adopted or credible for the pickup user customer.”

The Tasman, which required four years of development and more than 18,000 quality tests, acquired many firsts in the segment, such as second-row sliding seats that can recline by up to 30 degrees.

Kia's Tasman pickup truck, which made its debut at the Jeddah International Motor Show in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. [KIA]

“I put a lot of focus on the back seat comfort and usability, which can be seen with the storage possibilities. You can lift the back seat to store things. If you lift the bench, a bicycle can be stored there,” Habib said. “We cared about the angle of the rear seats, where it offers the biggest legroom in the back — in the segment."

The Tasman pickup offers a legroom of 37 inches, more spacious than the rival Chevrolet Colorado's 35.8 inches and the Ford Ranger's 34.6 inches.

After joining Kia in 2019, Habib spearheaded the design of the Tasman, which was first unveiled at the Jeddah International Motor Show this year, across all sectors, including the interior, exterior, colors and materials. Before joining Kia, Habib worked as a designer at Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

The Lebanon-born designer contributed to setting up Kia’s simplicity in design under its "Opposite United" design philosophy, which is demonstrated by the boomerang-shaped design of the running lights and the tiger nose grille.

Interior of the Tasman pickup truck at the Jeddah International Motor Show in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia [SARAH CHEA]

“Kia has, of course, a history of utility vehicles you know whether you're talking about SUVs, or even you know, the Bongo is an institution in Korea as a workhorse, as an incredible tool,” Habib said. “Of course, this is very different, but we have that history, that base that we try to reinterpret in a modern way.”

The Tasman surprised audiences with a relatively small-sized grille, which is a unique approach, as Kia SUVs and minivans like the Sorento and Carnival tended to get larger grilles over a series of revamps.

Regarding the grille design, Habib said he wanted the pickup to show a “powerful,” and not just an “angry,” appearance.

“I think it's too easy to increase the grille size to make things look more powerful, but that's not something we want to do,” he said. “A big grille seems to deliver an angry appearance, and in the case of the Tasman, the grill is not that big, but the front volume is big,” he added. “I wanted power more than anger.”

The Tasman will launch in the Korean market in the first half of 2025 with a 2.5-liter gasoline engine option. The Australian market will have a 2.2-liter diesel engine version, while the Middle East and African markets will get both options.

The U.S. launch has not been decided yet.

Kia aims to sell 100,000 Tasman pickups in 2025, aiming to grab 5 percent of the global market excluding the U.S. market.

BY SARAH CHEA [[email protected]]