Kia Australia is targeting 10 percent ute market share with upcoming pickup

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Kia has high hopes for its new pickup and aims to capture significant market share in the Australian pickup industry.

Kia Australia’s chief executive officer, Damien Meredith, told Chasing Cars that the brand predicts that the Kia ute will be a success. 

“We believe we can still do 10 percent (of the ute market share in Australia)”. 

That means that Kia is aiming to sell around 20,000 utes per year – certainly a big task ahead.

How does that figure look when compared to recent sales?

If Kia is planning to sell around 20,000 pickups a year in Australia, that would put it in line with the likes of the Isuzu D-Max and Mitsubishi Triton, both of which sold around 20,000 4×4 variant units during 2022. 

However, if Kia sells an entire range of ute products locally, the more realistic goal would be somewhere above the current figures of the Nissan Navara in 4×2 and 4×4 guise (10,526 in 2022), or the Mazda BT-50 in both grades (12,937 in 2022). 

Kia will still be someway off the likes of the Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger, both of which sold over 50,000 units during the year of 2022. 

However, if the Kia pickup is a complete success, its initial estimate of 10 percent total market share could go far higher. 

Kia Australia confirmed this week that its first-ever pickup will be built in Korea and is slated to arrive in Australia within the next “24 to 36 months”.

Rumoured to be branded the Tasman, the yet officially unnamed pickup will eventually form the basis of a broad range with a breadth stretching from budget-friendly tradie variants to luxury-tinged dual-cab 4x4s, Kia Australia has confirmed. 

Few technical details about the pickup have fully come to light, though Kia Australia has stated that the Korean ute will be underpinned by a dedicated body-on-frame architecture.

The local arm has also confirmed that its Australian R&D team has and will continue to play a key role in pickup’s development.