UPDATE: 2026/11/08 11:00 EST BY SILVIAN SECARA
A Possible Hyundai Connection?
We added some information on the potential link between Kia’s pickup and the Hyundai Boulder SUV concept.
The CarBuzz spy photographers have just captured what looks to be a Kia Tasman pickup testing with three important competitors in Southern California. But this is no ordinary Tasman. In fact, this Kia might not be a Tasman at all.
Instead, this could be a test mule for Kia’s new body-on-frame truck destined for the US market. And from what we see of the suspension, it’s coming after Raptors and other hardcore off-roaders from Detroit.
Kia US Truck PrototypeCarBuzz/Valnet
Though the photos appear to be just another Kia Tasman, a vehicle not sold in the US, the exterior panels tell us something different. Check out the set of wheel arch extensions Kia has installed.
The flares look like the parts on the Australian Tasman, which has been widely panned because of them. Kia quickly started offering them in body color to try to improve the appeal, much like a later Pontiac Aztek or Honda Element with painted cladding. But these are much larger parts, and they stick out well beyond the body. The flares are there to cover the all-terrain tires that are 10mm wider than anything available on the Tasman, delivering a much wider track.
Kia US Truck PrototypeCarBuzz/Valnet
The rear suspension is also completely different. A Tasman uses a solid rear axle, leaf springs, and a pair of shocks, surprisingly simple for a modern truck. This test vehicle has a Panhard bar, which helps locate the axle side to side. It also has an anti-roll bar, which the Tasman doesn’t, and trailing arms to locate the axle front to back.
Kia US Truck PrototypeCarBuzz/Valnet
Since the truck has a Panhard bar and we can’t see the rear springs, it’s safe to assume it has coil springs instead of leaf springs in the back. This is a huge change, and another sign that whatever this truck is, it’s going to be a lot different and likely a lot tougher than the Tasman.
Kia US Truck PrototypeCarBuzz/Valnet
We can’t see enough of the front suspension in the images to spot all the changes, but we can see one: aluminum lower control arms instead of the stamped steel and black painted arms on the Tasman.
Kia US Truck PrototypeCarBuzz/Valnet
The last sign of something new is the TV code written on each of the four wheels. No, it’s not a code for television – using Kia’s internal chassis codes, a Tasman is TK. TV suggests a truck that’s not a Tasman.
Kia US Truck PrototypeCarBuzz/Valnet
Perhaps most interestingly, our spies also captured this truck in a convoy with a Chevrolet Colorado, Toyota Tacoma, and Ram 1500. The drivers were swapping between vehicles, making it part of an organized development test session. So the Kia is being benchmarked against three US-market trucks, obvious competitors whatever Kia has cooking. Ford is mysteriously absent, but the Ranger is available in markets where the Tasman is sold already, so Kia might not need that data.
A Possible Hyundai Connection?
We’re entering the realm of pure speculation at this point, but it’s not unreasonable to wonder if Kia’s mysterious pickup and the Hyundai Boulder might be connected in some way. Hyundai debuted its rugged body-on-frame SUV concept at the New York International Auto Show back in April, and Kia’s truck may use the same architecture to streamline development and production.
Think about it. Both models are serious body-on-frame off-roaders going after established nameplates in America – similar construction, similar mission. And although the Boulder isn’t confirmed for production in its current form, we know Hyundai plans to use its underpinnings for multiple future models down the road. Make of that what you will.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
Kia US Truck PrototypeCarBuzz/Valnet
The US truck market is a big juicy target, but it’s not easy to break into. Nissan has tried and failed to make its own half-ton work, and while the midsize body-on-frame market is close to 600,000 units per year, Toyota sells close to half of those. The rest is split among five distant competitors. This prototype shows Kia is willing to try to make it work, but it won’t be easy.
Kia US Truck PrototypeCarBuzz/Valnet
When Kia announced the new truck earlier this year, it said it would arrive with hybrid and range-extender models. The new truck is set to go on sale before 2030, and unless Kia wants to pay some huge tariffs, it will need to be built in the US, Mexico, or Canada.
