Key Kia Tasman detail revealed: 2025 Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger and Isuzu D-Max rival teased ahead of next year's arrival

The Kia Tasman is the most hotly anticipated new vehicle arriving in the next 12 months.

It’s not often a big legacy car maker dives into the realm of rugged workhorses with little to no experience, but that is exactly what Kia is doing and the South Korean brand is going to milk it for all its worth.

After breaking the internet earlier this year with a star studded ad to announce it was preparing the Tasman, Kia showed off a heavily camouflaged prototype of the Tasman that asked more questions than it gave answers.

Today Kia has given another little glimpse of the soon to be revealed in full ute.

The heavily camouflage prototype gives us a few clues about what it’ll look like, with narrow vertical LED headlights, chunky guards over the wheel arches and a handy step built into the side of the tray behind the rear wheel to provide better access to the cargo area.

Kia is preparing to drop a behind the scenes video series highlighting more than 18,000 rounds of testing, emphasising the vehicle's extreme durability and exceptional performance.

It'll feature its off-road testing, water wading, all-terrain durability and towing trials, on-track performance and ride and handling.

Kia confirmed it will reveal the Tasman in full before the end of the year, most likely when the video series ends in October.

It'll then launch in Korea early 2025 before coming to Australia.

Official details are still scarce but Kia Australia, which is having a huge say in the development of the Tasman, has revealed what’s in store for the dual-cab.

Kia Australia Head of Product Planning Roland Rivero, previously told CarsGuide there are a number of non-negotiables.

These include a five-star ANCAP safety rating, a three-and-half tonne tow rating and greater than a one-tonne payload. It is likely to be available in two- and four-wheel-drive layouts.

The Tasman is likely to use a four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine that matches the best-selling versions of the Ranger and HiLux.

The most likely motor from Kia’s parts bin is the 2.2-litre turbo diesel used in the Sorento that makes 148kW and 440Nm and matched to an eight-speed automatic.

Rivero ruled out a V6-powered variant to match the top-flight Ford Rangers and Volkswagen Amaroks.

"What we’ll launch with is the volume areas of the category, and I think you’ll find that of the 63,000 Rangers that were sold last year and the 61,000 HiLuxes sold last year there is a huge component of those that are still four-cylinders,” said Rivero.

The Tasman will be built on a rugged ladder frame, so buyers can expect tough off-road performance to match the other dual cabs on sale.

Kia applies a local ride and handling tune to its range in Australia, which means the brand adapts the suspension to suit Australian roads and driving conditions. This should translate to a ute that drives near the top end of its class.