How Kia could fix the Tasman ute as a facelift nears to bolster the 2026 Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger and BYD Shark 6 rival

Kia is readying a major update to its Tasman ute to hopefully fix sales that have been softer than originally anticipated in Australia.

The Tasman, which was revealed in 2024 and launched locally last year, was one of the most anticipated new vehicle launches for the South Korean carmaker to date, especially from an Australian perspective.

The ute’s exterior design has polarised the public with some loving its boxy looks and plush interior, whereas others lament the awkward headlight placement, among other points.

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So far Australian sales haven’t met targets. Initially it was targeting 20,000 sales per year, but after the first four months of 2026 it’s on track to only sell around 5000 examples this year.

Kia has already confirmed a mid-life update is in the works and this may be fast-tracked. No exact timeframe has been provided yet, but it could be as soon as next year.

It’s unclear what exactly is set to change in terms of the design with this update, though the Tasman Weekender concept revealed at last year’s Seoul motor show could preview what’s coming.

2025 Kia Tasman Weekender concept

2026 Kia Tasman

It featured custom front and rear bumpers with lime green accents, body-coloured wheel arches, among a litany of off-road accessories.

As previously reported, focus groups and surveys have been sent out to Tasman owners in Australia on what they like and what they’d like to see improved.

"We've been quite vocal, and we always have been with this car in particular," a Kia spokesperson recently told CarsGuide.

"We're very vocal with our superiors, and up front. We're definitely being very deliberate in what we think might be hampering its sales performance.

"If we want to be a third of the total production volume, they've got to be receptive.”

As it currently stands, the Tasman is only powered by a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine in Australia. In South Korea there’s a 2.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine.

It’s understood a hybrid is in the works and it could feature the aforementioned 2.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with dual electric motors.

This ‘TMED-II’ engine already features in the Hyundai Palisade and is expected to roll out to other models within the Hyundai Motor Group.

For now we’ll need to wait and see whether more information about this update to the Tasman arises in the coming months.