Kia could become only the second car manufacturer to offer a ‘plug-less’ hybrid ute in the Toyota HiLux category in Australia, if the drive type gets over the line at HQ in Korea.
A ‘plug-less’ hybrid version of the Kia Tasman ute is under study – with petrol power replacing diesel under the bonnet – as tougher emissions rules come into force in Australia.
If it comes to showrooms, Kia could become the first car maker outside of China to offer a conventional hybrid ‘mid-size’ ute, in the style of the petrol-electric Toyota family SUVs that have climbed the Australian sales charts.
Hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery-electric powertrains are supported by the Tasman, the engineer overseeing the development of its body and chassis exclusively told Drive.
“We already have a hybrid system [in the Kia range], but now we are considering it is good for utes and/or ladder-frame SUVs. … We are not decided,” said Dong Hoon Kang, Kia Vice President of Mid-Large Sized Vehicle Chassis Engineering Design Centre.
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Asked if petrol power would make more sense for the hybrid than diesel, he replied: “Yeah.”
The Tasman is available in overseas markets with a 2.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine developing 207kW/421Nm, which won’t be offered in Australia due to its higher emissions output.
The Hyundai group has developed a new, dual-motor hybrid system based around the 2.5-litre turbo engine.
However, it is currently only available in front-wheel-drive-based vehicles – debuting in the front-wheel-drive Palisade last year – so a unique system would be needed for the rear-wheel-drive-biased Tasman.
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A rear-wheel-drive 2.5-litre turbo-petrol hybrid is destined for Genesis luxury vehicles, but further engineering may be required to fit the Tasman and its off-road, load-carrying requirements.
“Now, the system that we developed in the Palisade, that’s the FF [front-engined, front-wheel-drive] system. Tasman is FR [front-engined, rear-wheel-drive] system, so we need a FR system.”
Adding electrification to the 2.5-litre turbo engine would cut its CO2 emissions output, while boosting low-down torque – the major barriers standing in the way of launching the non-hybrid version locally.
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This year marks the start of the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), which penalises manufacturers for selling too many cars that exceed CO2 emissions targets adjusted based on their type and weight.
In the first year of the targets, the 2.2-litre turbo-diesel Tasman will initially fall in the black, and attract emissions ‘credits’ Kia can use to offset the sale of other vehicles.
It emits 200 to 214 grams per kilometres of CO2 in four-wheel-drive dual-cab pick-up form, depending on trim grade, against an estimated target of about 215g/km.
However, come 2029, the same Tasman variants would face an estimated target of 115g/km – meaning every vehicle sold would face the equivalent of up to $9900 in fines, based on a penalty of $100 per gram-per-kilometre of CO2 over the limit.
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Estimates by Drive – using Korean specifications as a guide – suggest a 2.5-litre turbo-petrol, non-hybrid Tasman X-Pro would be rated at 232g/km of CO2 if sold in Australia.
That equates to an even bigger fine of up to $11,700, which would need to be offset by the sale of more efficient Kia models, if the company is to avoid paying it on each one sold.
Kia Australia CEO Damien Meredith expressed interest in a ‘plug-less’ hybrid, when asked which of the three main types of electrified drive type he would prefer in a Tasman: hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric.
“I’ll say that I think that, from a brand point of view and a global point of view, and what we want to do with Plan S [Kia HQ’s electric-car roll-out plan] … we’d probably want an electric view.
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“[But] right now in the marketplace? You’d probably want hybrid, I would suggest.”
Only one Tasman, Toyota HiLux or Ford Ranger-sized hybrid ute has been sold in Australia without a charging port: the GWM Cannon Alpha hybrid.
It was recently cut from the line-up due to the introduction of the similarly priced plug-in hybrid variant.
The Toyota Tundra full-sized pick-up is sold with a single-motor hybrid system bolted to its twin-turbo petrol V6, while a ‘mild-hybrid’ system – which, unlike the Cannon Alpha, cannot drive the wheels on electricity alone – is offered in the Toyota HiLux diesels.
The post Kia Tasman hybrid ute under consideration, without a plug appeared first on Drive.