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Kia says those doubting the Tasman’s boundary-pushing exterior design need to see the model in the metal before making up their minds, as the brand said the “controversy” surrounding the vehicle’s unveiling will subside as Australians “get used to it”.
Kia Australia’s Facebook page lit up as the covers finally came off the Tasman last week, with some professing their love for the utilitarian design, but others seemingly shocked by the unconventional look.
Kia has been quick to silence the online doubters. It said the model has been warmly received by those who have actually seen it, and that following the leaders (in the Ranger, HiLux and D-Max) with a same-same design would have left them with a ute they felt would age quickly, and fail to stand out.
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“Look, they haven't seen the car. That's the first thing,” said Kia Australia’s Chief Operating Officer, Dennis Piccoli, in response to questions about the online response to the Tasman’s unveiling.
“We've had various focus groups over the past few days. Equally, we've had corporates in, fleets in, and we've had our dealer network responsible for selling the product. And the feedback, generally speaking, for those that have seen it has been positive both in terms of the way the car looks from the outside and the inside.
“There's a general level of confidence in moving forward and gaining momentum in order to hit the numbers that we need to achieve.
"Clearly there's been a fair bit of controversy around it over the past 24 hours, but like I said, they haven't seen the car and it is an evolutionary process in terms of growing it.
“It's the old story that if you see a car from day one in that design phase, and if you like it, there's every chance it's dated.
“The other thing is that, to a certain extent, there are very established players out there, be it Toyota, be it, be it Ford, and be it Isuzu. We've got to break through, and a same-same design is probably not going to work. The reality is that we need to have something different,” he said.
It’s an idea echoed by Kia’s global VP of Next Interior Design, Jochen Paesen, who 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.
“And I think this is a very healthy way, and of course people haven't seen the car, people haven't experienced it, people haven't seen it driving. I think those are all factors that will play an important role.
“But for something to be new, for something to be, at first, maybe needing to get used to, that's actually not a problem. That's actually quite a good thing because we do believe that that will give us a product that ultimately, once people get used to it, stands out, and stands out for good reasons.
"It's part of that process and you need to give that time and then that will work.”
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