Kia Tasman 2.0: work has begun in Australia

Work has begun on Kia Tasman 2.0, with componentry already undergoing testing in Australia as the brand prepares a mid-life facelift that will likely touch everything from design to powertrains and dynamics.. But, the brand says, it's too soon to get too excited, with the Tasman facelift unlikely to arrive before late 2028 at the earliest, despite work already underway.. The brand has made no secret of its high hopes for the Tasman in Australia, and of what it thinks needs to change to supercharge sales, but says that the model lifecycle won't be shortened to achieve it..

"That's part of the process.. There's a normal Product Enhancement process applied to it like any other car.. So that's happening now, if you like," says Kia Australia's Chief Ride and Handling Engineer Graeme Gambold..

"And that's not just facelifted exterior styling.. That's also different shock absorber technology, probably powertrain options, and a whole lot of things.. "We've got some bits here that we've got to test, or that (Korea) has asked us to test..

So if we like those parts, they'll come to market when we're facelifting.. So there's a lot of ongoing things happening with (Tasman).. But that's the same for any car - it doesn't just stop once we launch it." In the meantime, Kia says it will take any changes or updates that might come its way, as well as redoubling its efforts to crack the hard-fought fleet market, vowing "we're not walking away from the product"..

"It's still a daily priority, that product.. It's a really important product for us," says Dean Norbiato, GM of Marketing at Kia Australia.. "We need to work harder from a fleet standpoint as well..

That's not an easy transition.. These legacy brands that have got big fleet deals, they're not just going to let a newcomer come in and (take them).. So we need to continue to roll our sleeves up to play in that space.  "From a private-sales standpoint, it's going okay when you factor in the category that is very much fleet dominant..

We can obviously always do better.. So it is just working with R&D, working with the global product team.. If there is anything that we can do, we will absolutely exhaust it and look at it..

"That's our commitment because we're not walking away from the product.".