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The Kia Tasman appears off to a running start in Australia, with the new diesel dual-cab accruing enough orders to see it finish ahead of the Mitsubishi Triton, Nissan Navara, Mazda BT-50 and BYD Shark 6 – and alongside the Isuzu D-Max – in its first month of deliveries.
The Tasman is now nearing its launch next month, and the order books have finally opened, with Kia saying close to 2000 customers have already ordered the brand's first ute.
Based on the May sales results, 2000 Kia Tasman deliveries would have seen it out-perform the Triton (1328 sales), the Navara (570), the BT-50 (1059) the Shark 6 (1302), and finish just behind the Isuzu D-Max (2022).
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In fact, if Kia can deliver its full order bank in its first month , it would – based on May figures at least – make the Tasman the fourth most popular ute in Australia, behind only the D-Max, the Ford Ranger and the Toyota HiLux.
Some caveats, of course. The above numbers are based on 4X4 sales only, and make the presumption that the lion's share of Tasman orders are for the all-paw powertrain. Equally important, Kia will have had several months to accrue an order bank before the Tasman goes on sale.
Still, it suggest the "pile on" over the Tasman's design has not impacted sales. Kia's Australian chief, Damien Meredith, said it might have even been a good thing, with the executive describing the Tasman's pre-order campaign as the company's most successful to date.
"We're looking pretty good. We're very happy," said Meredith.
"Yes, it's a new entrant in a very competitive segment, but Australia is a competitive segment. Every segment in Australia is competitive.
"We've done everything right, we've prepared, the product is fantastic. There has been a pile on, but maybe that will be a good thing, because there's recognition with the brand already, and we've worked hard on that also.
"The success will be in six months time, at the end of the year, when we look back and say that we've done what we needed to do," he said.
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