Kia Corp., South Korea's second-biggest carmaker, said Sunday it has sold over 4,000 units of its first pickup truck, the Kia Tasman, less than a month since its release, raising expectations it will revitalize the local pickup truck market.
Kia sold more than 4,000 Tasman trucks in February, accounting for some 30 percent of all pickup truck sales in the country last month, according to company officials.
The feat comes in just 17 days since the carmaker launched its first-ever pickup truck in South Korea on Feb. 13.
In 2024, five major carmakers -- Hyundai Motor Co., Kia, GM Korea Co., Renault Korea Motors Co. and KG Mobility Corp. -- sold a combined 13,475 pickup trucks here, according to the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association.
The yearly figure has been on a constant decline from 42,619 in 2019 to 38,117 in 2020, 29,567 in 2021, 28,753 in 2022 and 17,455 the following year.
Market watchers said the domestic pickup truck demand has been falling due to a limited model lineup by the five automakers, but the appearance of the Kia Tasman may help boost consumer sentiment.
Only four pickup truck models, comprising two from KGM and the other two from GM Korea, had been available in South Korea before the release of the Kia Tasman.
The Kia Tasman made its debut at the 2024 Jeddah International Motor Show in Saudi Arabia.
The all-wheel-drive Tasman comes with a 2.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine that produces 281 horsepower and an eight-speed automatic transmission, according to the company. (Yonhap)
