Kia is coming for our ute kings! Inside the brand's top-secret missions Down Under to ensure it's building Australia's best diesel dual-cab

Kia has pulled out all the stops to make sure its first-ever diesel-powered dual-cab has everything it needs to take on the might of the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger – not to mention the Nissan Navara, Mitsubishi Triton and Volkswagen Amarok – with the brand funding several top-secret research missions to Australia to learn how and where we use our utes, and why we love them so much.

Australia has emerged as a key guidance market for Kia, as there are few places on Earth where diesel-powered dual-cabs are as popular as they are here – and where the potential slice of the ute pie is so large, and so lucrative.

And CarsGuide understands Kia has funded several top-secret missions to our market to study its competitors, its customers and Australia's unique conditions, with development stretching way back to 2020.

Our sources have already confirmed that the new ute – which will land in Australia in 2025 – has been benchmarked against the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger (the two best-selling utes in the county), and so expect class-matching towing capacity and payload.

But we also expect Kia to take it further than the spec sheet, with the Ford Ranger's car-like comfort and practicality innovations also sure to be high on its hit list. Off-road capability, and lifestyle uses – like long-distance towing – will also be under study.

The other weapon in Kia's arsenal is the brand's localisation program, which the ute will undergo, and which should commence in Australia next year.

The ride and handling tuning program has been rolled out across all Kia vehicles, with the testing and changes made in Australia genuinely transforming the way the brand's vehicles hold up to our conditions.

CarsGuide understands development has been underway since 2020, with Kia keen to ensure its product is the best offering in an increasingly crowded field.

As to what will be powering it? We know the Hyundai Group is home to a thundering straight-six diesel producing a punchy 205kW and 588Nm. For the record, that would make the Kia ute Australia’s most powerful diesel-dual cab, out-punching everything from the HiLux and Ranger to the Mitsubishi Triton and Nissan Navara.

But for that, we'll have to wait and see.