Articles by Dom Tripolone

Kia might be preparing a fresh face for its Tasman workhorse ute.Debate about the Tasman’s styling has followed it around like a bad smell since the day it was revealed. That might be all about to change.Kia recently revealed a military-grade Tasman as part of its display at the International Aerospace & Defence Exhibition in Seoul.The show cars were the usual military fare, but Kia’s Special Vehicle division showcased several suggested uses for the military-grade Tasman on its website.The hard to access website - we had to go incognito mode to get it to load — looks just like any Kia retail page but has heavy duty Tasmans.A few images jumped out, with a 'Military Command Vehicle' and a 'Military Version Pick-up truck' showing a substantially different look to the current Tasman.These images are clearly computer generated, but so are the rest of the images on this official Kia website that all depict the current shaped Tasman.This might be a long bow, but it is also odd they would publish these images that look so obviously different.The digital renders show a new headlight design, completely new fender flares front and back and an altered grille, bonnet and front bumper.The result is tough and — dare I say — handsome ute. Kia has not confirmed to CarsGuide if these images are real or not.Kia’s global VP of Next Interior Design, Jochen Paesen, previously said people will get used to the design, which was intended to stand out from the outset.“This is really, really important for Kia, we want to make sure that we have a clear identity. It does stand out. We are new to the market. It needs to be noticed. And generally, and this is generally for design, if you want to be progressive, if you want to stand out, if you want to do something new, you will go through a process of getting people used to it,” he said.The proof is in the sales figures.Despite receiving critical acclaim for how the car actually performs on and off the road, sales of the Tasman haven’t moved the needle.Kia is currently moving about 800 Tasmans a month, which is about half of what it needs to hit its lofty targets.A new look could catapult way up the charts.

Chinese carmakers are obsessed with utes.

GWM has tinkered with its fast-selling Haval Jolion small SUV, delivering big results.The Chinese brand has made some rolling changes to its compact SUV that have delivered massive reduction in fuel use.The Jolion Hybrid now uses 4.8L/100km, down from 5.1L/100km. And petrol Premium and Lux grades go from 8.1L/100km down to 6.7L/100km. GWM has also ditched the range-topping Ultra grade and replaced it with the Vanta variant. Its petrol engine is even more efficient than the cheaper grades, with it using 6.5L/100km.GWM said the fuel savings were due to the addition of stop-start function on petrol versions and new tyres and a more aerodynamic undertray on all variants. Engine performance remains unchanged despite the improvements.Hybrid version use a 1.5L petrol engine matched with an electric motor to make a combined 140kW and 375Nm.Lux and Premium petrol variants use a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol motor making 105kW and 210Nm. This jumps to 130kW and 270Nm in the Vanta grade.Petrol variants use a seven-speed dual-clutch auto and hybrid examples have a hybrid automatic transmission. All Jolions are front-wheel drive.All models run on the cheapest 91 RON regular unleaded petrol, which boosts value by reducing running costs.The increased efficiency also pushes the hybrid models under this year’s CO2 threshold as set out by the federal government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES).The NVES slaps carmakers with penalties for every gram of CO2 emitted over a certain threshold per car. This CO2 limit gets lower every year until 2030.Carmakers can offset the penalties via credits earned from the sales of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.This type of change shows just how flexible Chinese carmakers can be, ushering in proper alterations outside of model year updates.This is referred to as "China Speed", which is a new industry buzz and something many established carmakers such as Audi, GM and Nissan are looking to replicate.GWM is currently offering sharp drive-away deals on current Jolion stock, but this deal is unlikely to apply to the revised versions. 

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