- Kia’s Special Vehicles division showcases the Tasman’s modification potential.
- The automaker revealed multiple new versions, including a police variant.
- AI-generated Tasman renders display a cleaner, more conventional design.
Kia is developing multi-purpose versions of the Tasman pickup, designed not just for everyday commercial work but also for military duty. Nothing particularly shocking about that, but the page where it shows off these toughened-up trucks is where things get interesting.
The official renderings of the military trucks, apparently created with AI, depict a Tasman that looks cleaner and more restrained than the production model, though it’s unlikely this was meant as a redesign.
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These digital illustrations appear on the website of Kia’s Special Vehicles division, the brand’s independent R&D and manufacturing arm responsible for military vehicles supplied to the Korean army, along with buses, light commercial vans, and trucks.
What’s on Display?
Among the Tasman-based builds are a “Military Command Vehicle,” set against a dense forest backdrop, and a “Military Version Pickup Truck” rendered in a sandy desert scene.
At first glance, both trucks look familiar, but a closer look reveals several key differences with the production Tasman. Those include a pair of larger LED headlights, a simpler grille, and a more conventional bumper.
The sides have been cleaned up as well, with smoother fenders that lose the polarizing shapes of the original. Military additions include a larger rear box, a bull bar, and patterned camouflage finishes that match their respective environments.
Scroll a bit further down on the same page, and you’ll find nine additional Tasman renderings for commercial use. These images are labeled for “illustrative purposes only”, but appear more consistent with the production Tasman.
The proposals span a wide range of configurations, including police, ambulance, armored, snowplow, safari, and personnel transport variants.
Redesigned by Accident?
While some might hope these sharper-looking renderings preview an early facelift, that’s highly unlikely. Kia has hinted at various long-term upgrades throughout the Tasman’s 8-12 year lifecycle, but a visual refresh shouldn’t be expected anytime soon.
The truck only entered production in early 2025, and despite a slow sales start in Australia, it’s far too early in its timeline for a redesign.
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The more plausible explanation is that the AI software used to create these military visuals didn’t fully interpret the Tasman’s distinctive exterior, subtly reshaping it toward the more generic proportions of a midsize pickup.
That’s a common quirk in AI-generated imagery that has yet to eclipse despite the notable improvements over the past few years. The bigger question, of course, is why did someone at Kia use AI at all. It’s hardly as if the company’s short on designers who could have knocked out a few renders without the help of a chatbot.
Still, those hoping for a tougher, cleaner-looking Tasman might not be out of luck for long. The rugged Weekender concept, featuring body-colored fenders, redesigned bumpers, and a lifted stance, is said to preview a more aggressive production version that could rival the Ford Ranger Raptor.
