Hyundai HCD-15 Santa Cruz Pickup | Confirmed for Production

[Keef]

In addition to Hyundai, Kia seems to developing its own pickup truck. Spotted in Korea, it appears to have a more traditional pickup body style, and is based off the full-size Mohave SUV, which is not available in the US.

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New Kia Pickup Spied In Korea Wearing Mohave Bodywork | Carscoops

The ladder-frame pickup appears to be ICE-powered, coming with a dual-cab bodystyle and a hefty ground clearance

www.carscoops.com

This is the only place I can find the new Kia pickup mentioned but it's absolutely a real thing. This image from Jan 2023 simply slaps a pickup bed on the front part of a Mohave SUV - sidebar, apparently Kia still manufactures the bones of the old Borrego but it's called the Mohave now.

Anyway, surprised nobody else has picked up on this. Kia is working hard on the 2025 Tasman pickup and it should be revealed later this year.



Given that the Borrego was indeed a body-on-frame SUV about the size of a modern 4Runner, the Tasman will be an adequately sized competitor to the Ranger, Tacoma, et al.

Here were some spy shots from a month ago:

We see some interesting things here and I have no idea if they're shared with the Borrego/Mohave since that truck is, what, 15 years old by now? The chassis frame rails are really high, or the truck body is mounted low on them. Most trucks in the American market have the frame rails more exposed below the body sides. We see Kia is using a welded differential housing on the rear axle like the Japanese do, while American companies have traditionally preferred bolted diff covers and axle sleeves. We see brackets for leaf springs in an era when some full-size pickups have switched to coil springs. Both the rear damper mounts and the rear trailing arms are mounted considerably higher on the axle than Toyota or others, offering excellent clearance However that can also be an indication of a lack of travel, or perhaps simply because the upper mount is higher on those lofty frame rails. The forward mounts of the rear trailing arms are tucked up high as the frame rails have already begun angling upwards - this is more like a Wrangler than a Tacoma, as Toyota tends to keep their frame rails lower for longer, forcing the trailing arm to mount to the bottom of the rail and creating a clearance hazard when off-road.

And finally a spy shot of the Tasman testing in the US recently.

@CodeRedR51 @TB could we get a name change on this thread for the entire Hyundai Santa Cruz and Kia Tasman pickup truck saga?

 

[ScottPuss20]

This is the only place I can find the new Kia pickup mentioned but it's absolutely a real thing. This image from Jan 2023 simply slaps a pickup bed on the front part of a Mohave SUV - sidebar, apparently Kia still manufactures the bones of the old Borrego but it's called the Mohave now.

Anyway, surprised nobody else has picked up on this. Kia is working hard on the 2025 Tasman pickup and it should be revealed later this year.



Given that the Borrego was indeed a body-on-frame SUV about the size of a modern 4Runner, the Tasman will be an adequately sized competitor to the Ranger, Tacoma, et al.

Here were some spy shots from a month ago:

This car is set to make a big splash in Australia, where it's being teased in an advertising campaign featuring some famous Aussies. The "Tasman" name is a direct reference to the Tasman Sea which separates Australia and New Zealand. Kia want a piece of ute pie that's currently being dominated by the Ranger and Hilux.

 

[Keef]

This car is set to make a big splash in Australia, where it's being teased in an advertising campaign featuring some famous Aussies. The "Tasman" name is a direct reference to the Tasman Sea which separates Australia and New Zealand. Kia want a piece of ute pie that's currently being dominated by the Ranger and Hilux.

What else is on sale down yonder? I assume Mitsubishi is still offering a truck, what about the Chevy Colorado? In my opinion the Colorado is probably the best truck in the category now, I prefer it to the new Tacoma actually.

 

[ScottPuss20]

What else is on sale down yonder? I assume Mitsubishi is still offering a truck, what about the Chevy Colorado? In my opinion the Colorado is probably the best truck in the category now, I prefer it to the new Tacoma actually.

Mitsubishi has the Triton but the Colorado is not sold here anymore.

 

[Hayden]

What else is on sale down yonder? I assume Mitsubishi is still offering a truck, what about the Chevy Colorado? In my opinion the Colorado is probably the best truck in the category now, I prefer it to the new Tacoma actually.

The Ute market is the biggest segment in Australian new vehicle sales. Main contenders are…

• Ford Ranger
• Toyota Hilux
• Isuzu DMAX
• Mazda BT50
• Mitsubishi Triton
• Toyota Landcruiser
• Volkswagen Amarok
• Nissan Navara
• Jeep Gladiator

We also have the affordable GWM, LDV & Ssangyong dual cabs, along with the enormous Ram, Chevy, & Ford pickups. The latter cost a fortune due to being converted to RHD post-manufacture.

The Colorado (formerly Rodeo) went out with the Holden brand a few years ago. It was sent off with the special edition HSV Sportscat. Disappointingly it never got the stonking V8 that Walkinshaw (HSV) had toyed with fitting


Utes are quite literally everywhere here and I give Kia (and Hyundai) enormous credit for diving into the shark tank. The advertising for the Tasman has been non-stop and I can’t remember a car (that hasn’t even been revealed yet) getting such a big main-stream spotlight. It’s certainly a very brave move.

 

[Keef]

The Tasman has been revealed! In renders.





Interior looks good and practical. They borrowed the table idea that Ford has had for a couple years so I’d expect something like it to become standard on every brand. Looks like it’s definitely designed to work.

It seems bigger than most mid-size trucks, more like the length of the Jeep Gladiator which is considerably longer than something like a Tacoma. For reference, the Scout Terra pickup revealed recently should be bigger than this also because it is sort of super-midsize - the Scout Traveller SUV is within a couple inches of the length and width of my first-gen Toyota Sequoia which itself is bigger than any current midsize truck or SUV but smaller than the full size trucks. The Scout and my Sequoia are also a fair bit larger than the new Land Cruiser 250.

The Tasman is also quite ugly which I kind of like, though truly you can’t beat a pretty truck like the Scout.

I’m a little bit concerned about its ability to fit larger tires. 35s would be excellent but it looks like the front edge of the tire may be too close to the wheel arch in the rear.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

The only way I can explain how this thing looks is if you can imagine reducing a jpg of a new Toyota Tacoma to 50p x 50p and then using AI to upscale it back to HD. It's shockingly weird looking.

 

[LumpiestFish]

It's a little bit 90s Ram-esque at the front end with end with the lights being incorporated into the guards, it almost looks good, instead it looks really odd. The headlights are too small and widespread and has lost the muscular look that the big Jeep Gladiator-like body has, but I think it's the size rounded body work splitting the headlights from the grill that makes it look so odd. Also, what on earth are the black tops on the wheel arches...

Its a shame because Kia have done really well to shake off the misconceptions of them in Australia, but first hand I've heard A LOT of negativity about the Tasman from tradies and the like. It's such a 'macho' consumer base where everyone wants the 'coolest', or the biggest, or the 'best'. While we don't know if it'll be the best yet, early indications of how cool people think it is aren't great.

 

[05XR8]

All it needs is phone compatibility and a long warranty. If people keep buying GWM utes, they’ll buy this.