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Kia sells over 4,000 Tasman pickups in first month of launch

Published: 09 Mar. 2025, 14:47

This file photo provided by Kia Corp. shows its first pickup, the Kia Tasman. [KIA]

Kia said Sunday that it has sold over 4,000 units of its first pickup truck, the Tasman, in less than a month after its release, raising expectations that it will revitalize the local pickup truck market.

Korea's second-largest automaker sold more than 4,000 Tasman trucks in February, accounting for some 30 percent of all pickup sales in the country last month, according to company insiders.

The feat came just 17 days after the carmaker launched its first-ever pickup truck in Korea on Feb. 13.

In 2024, five major carmakers — Hyundai Motor, Kia, GM Korea, Renault Korea and KG Mobility (KGM) — sold a combined 13,475 pickup trucks in the country, according to the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association.

The yearly figure has been on a constant decline from 42,619 in 2019 to 38,117 in 2020, 29,567 in 2021, 28,753 in 2022 and 17,455 the following year.

Market watchers said domestic pickup demand has been falling due to a limited model lineup by the five automakers, but the appearance of the Kia Tasman may help boost consumer sentiment.

Only four pickup truck models — two from KGM and the other two from GM Korea — were available in Korea before the release of the Tasman.

The truck made its debut at the 2024 Jeddah International Motor Show in Saudi Arabia on Oct. 29 of last year.

The all-wheel-drive Tasman comes with a 2.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine that produces 281 horsepower and an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Yonhap