How many sales? 2026 Kia Tasman 'pile on' a good thing as incredible order bank for diesel-powered ute puts all-new dual-cab ahead of Mitsubishi Triton, Nissan Navara, Mazda BT-50 and BYD Shark 6

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Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
7 Jun 2025
3 min read

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).

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.

Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold. But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul. And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard. When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House. But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others. More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will.
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