The upcoming Kia Tasman has no shortage of polarising design cues, from its prominent snout to its enormous black plastic wheel arches.
In good news to those critical of the Tasman’s design, Kia appears to be working on a fix for at least one of those elements.
In an image shared by a member of the Kia Tasman Owners Club on Facebook, we can see a camouflaged Tasman on the streets of Sydney.
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Underneath the camo, however, we can see the front wheel arches are finished in the same colour as the body, giving the Tasman a more conventional look.
The Tasman was revealed with unusual, boxy wheel arch flares – likened by some to eyebrows over the wheel wells – which at the rear conceal lockable storage and the fuel filler door.
Kia Australia has already confirmed it will offer different wheel-arch treatments, though these do without the clever storage.
It has yet to confirm whether these will be fitted as dealer accessories or fitted at the port.
It also confirmed last October at the Tasman’s reveal it was weighing up whether to offer these optional fender flares with either a “raw textured plastic” option or painted in some of the Tasman’s more popular colours.
The Tasman is due here in July, and will launch first in dual-cab ute guise before dual-cab/chassis and single-cab/chassis options are rolled out later in the year.
At its reveal, Kia defended the polarising design of its first-ever Ford Ranger rival.
Notably, all three Tasmans on display at the reveal were finished in black, which led to questions as to whether Kia Australia was trying to downplay the visual impact of the vehicle.
“It’s not a decision to shy away from this bold and progressive-looking vehicle,” said John Buckingham, head of Kia Next Design Exterior Group, to Australian media.
“The expressive design that we created is obviously with the market being so well established, we had to create something new.
“So it’s going to be a new product with a new character.
“We wanted to make sure that it reflected its functionality and also give this very unique, clear look.”
That boxy body, for example, affords the Tasman what Kia claims is class-leading second-row space and comfort including headroom and shoulder room.
The Tasman is also the widest and tallest vehicle in its segment, and the second-longest behind only the niche Jeep Gladiator.
It rides an identical 3270mm wheelbase to the top-selling Ford Ranger but a longer rear overhang means its tub is longer, deeper and wider than the dual-cab Ranger’s.
“I think it’s important to let the dust settle,” Mr Buckingham told CarExpert in October.
“Until you see it driving down the road, next to other vehicles, truly in context, that’s when we feel and understand the car’s design a little bit more – it settles, people get used to some of the things that taste dictates they might not like.
“We’re getting different results and different feedback from different regions.
“We’ve obviously got a little bit of time now to take on board what’s been seen, and then we normally have a little look and conversation in a couple of months time as we go through the products, the development cycle, what we do next.
“Some designs are supposed to not need to be immediately just accepted.
“Do we get people to like it straight away, or do we do something progressive that people have to learn to love?
“Some of the most beautiful vehicles, the most accepted and progressive vehicles initially didn’t get a positive reaction but over time became really appreciated because the character itself stands alone.”
Kia subsequently said in December it had been seeing a “narrative shift” as opposition to the Tasman’s design quietened down.
MORE: Everything Kia Tasman
