With great ute power comes great responsibility: Why Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger loving Australian buyers will make or break the Kia Tasman globally

Australia is more than just a new sales opportunity for the Kia Tasman, it is shaping as a make-or-break market for the Korean brand's first ute.

Aussie buyers are expected to snap up one in every three Tasmans built, according to new reports.

Well-connected Korean media site The Korean Car Blog reports the Kia Tasman will be built at the brand's vast Autoland Hwaseong plant, with the company targeting an annual production of 65,000 vehicles.

Those numbers put the importance of the Australian market into sharp focus, given Kia in Australia is targeting in excess of 20,000 sales per annum.

If that target is hit, Aussie ute buyers will be responsible for purchasing one-third of all Kia Tasmans produced.

It's a point not lost on Kia's executive team, who describe "the responsibility" it feels to make the Tasman a success, given so much of its development occurred in, and for, Australia.

In fact, Kia Australia boss Damien Meredith suggests our market has been responsible for some 30 per cent of the ute's development – which is in keeping with its sales ambitions.

Kia Tasman concept.

"The involvement of (Kia Australia General Manager of Product Planning Roland Rivero) and his team has been huge, and the same goes for (ride, handling and engineering expert) Graeme Gambold," Mr Meredith says.

"What they've done, over a long period of time, is be able to build up strong trust with R&D and I've been amazed at how early the guys have gone into the development aspect of the light commercial range.

"It's a credit to them, and a credit to Kia Australia.

"It's an important car. An important car for South Africa. An important car for the Middle East."

Mr Rivero, who has led Australia's involvement in the Tasman project, has told CarsGuide of the "responsibility" he feels to get the brand's first ute right, given the level of Aussie input.

Kia Tasman concept.

"It's a different sport," Mr Rivero says. "But with that involvement comes a lot of responsibility."

As previously reported, the hotly anticipated diesel dual-cab could be on the receiving end of an early mark in Australia, with production reportedly shifted to December this year which means the ute could be in Australia by January 2025.

The brand has flagged a "familiar" four-cylinder diesel engine. This would likely mean the same 2.2-litre unit found in the Sorento and Carnival, which produces 148kW and 440Nm likely paired with an eight-speed automatic gearbox. There will be a manual option, too, along with a 1000kg-plus payload and a 3.5-tonne braked towing capacity.