With Hyundai recently cementing its plans to bring a midsize pickup truck to the U.S. it was only a matter of time before fellow brand Kia got in on the act.

Kia confirmed its intentions during its annual investor call with the truck being part of a broader plan to expand its presence in the U.S. marketplace.

Kia might bring the Tasman to the U.S.

Based on some of the core details from Kia’s announcement, it’s safe to assume the Tasman might get the call to come stateside. The Tasman made its debut in international markets, and it certainly has styling that only a mother could love with the front end looking like it was designed with strategic strikes from a crowbar or an axe.

This U.S. bound model would perhaps get the same platform and some of the same interior technology but the exterior styling would feature a more approachable canvas with some of the lessons learned from the Tasman being applied. The truck currently is powered by a 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder making 277 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque. A turbodiesel is also available but the 2.5-liter would seem to be the best fit for the U.S. with an eight-speed automatic being the only transmission on hand.

Kia also confirmed hybrid and extended-range versions of the truck are planned with these models being a nod to recent market trends that have seen hybrid and other extended-range vehicles becoming more prevalent in the market as EV demand sags.

Could be built in the U.S.

With the Tasman itself being kept out of the U.S. (for better or for worse) by the 25% chicken tax and tariffs look for this new truck to be built in the U.S. to reduce Kia’s exposure to these beefed-up fees. Localized production would also give Kia an opportunity to get a better sense of what U.S. customers want which will help them tailor the truck to the specific needs of U.S. buyers.

This new model would also add meat to Kia’s broader sales plans with the Korean car giant planning to sell 4.13 million units by 20230 with 2026 being pegged for 3.35 million vehicles. The United States would make up for 1.07 million of this total which would be a noticeable jump from the 852,155 units the company sold in 2025.

Sales have also ironically proven to be an issue for the Tasman with the truck managing to only sell 3,700 units in Australia, a far cry from the 20,000 units a year Kia’s bean counters originally envisioned for the model when it first debuted. Adding a U.S. offshoot would help open a new potential profit source which would help the company recoup the development costs for the truck faster.