Kia’s body-on-frame truck spotted outside

Kia continues working on adding the first frame-based pickup allegedly called the Tasman to its current model range. A year ago, car spies nabbed down a double-cab version of it testing on the streets. This weekend, a video cropped up on YouTube showing a more recent version of it.

According to reports, the production won’t begin until next year, so let’s take a look. The truck is shown sitting in an underground parking clad in camo top to bottom. You can still discern some of the front end with its vertical headlights and large radiator grille. It looks somewhat like the body-on-frame Telluride SUV for the United States, but the source warns that the platform appears different. Specifically, Kia seems to be using a new ladder-flame chassis for the Tasman.

When the pickup reaches the market, it will likely do so riding on 17-inch wheels shod in Kumho Crugen 265/65 R17 tires. On-demand AWD and reduction gear should also be available.

According to Car Sales Australia, the engine will be a 2.2-liter four-cylinder diesel mill obtainable in manual and automatic transmission variants. Later on, Kia may complement the lineup with a shortened single-cab version and an all-electric powertrain.