Seoul: Kia Corp., South Korea's second-biggest carmaker, announced it has sold over 4,000 units of its first pickup truck, the Kia Tasman, within a month since its release, raising expectations that it will revitalize the local pickup truck market.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Kia achieved this feat in just 17 days since the Tasman's launch on February 13, marking nearly 30 percent of all pickup trucks sold in South Korea in 2024. In the same year, five major carmakers, including Hyundai Motor Co., Kia, GM Korea Co., Renault Korea Motors Co., and KG Mobility Corp. (KGM), sold a combined total of 13,475 pickup trucks in the country, as reported by the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association (KAMA).

The yearly sales of pickup trucks have been on a decline from 42,619 in 2019 to 38,117 in 2020, further decreasing to 29,567 in 2021, 28,753 in 2022, and 17,455 in 2023. Market analysts have attributed the drop in domestic pickup truck demand to a limited model lineup by the five automakers. However, the introduction of the Kia Tasman is expected to boost consumer interest and sentiment.

Prior to the release of the Kia Tasman, only four pickup truck models were available in South Korea, with two models from KGM and two from GM Korea. The Tasman made its debut at the 2024 Jeddah International Motor Show in Saudi Arabia, featuring an all-wheel-drive system, a 2.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine that produces 281 horsepower, and an eight-speed automatic transmission.