Kia has left the door open for hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric versions of its Tasman ute, even as it casts doubt on PHEVs as a solution for commercial vehicle buyers. “You’ve also got to weigh out [the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard] and the penalty regime and the targets, the longevity of hybrid really is that they’re pushing everyone towards EVs,” said Kia Australia chief operating officer Dennis Piccoli to CarExpert. “At this stage, the light commercial market is very much diesel, so whilst there are brands moving into plug-in hybrid and hybrid, is that because that’s what the market is chasing? “Or is that because internally, the OEM needs to force-feed those cars in order to make the thing justifiable for their own existence? 100s of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now.
Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now . “The other thing is that our feedback coming through from fleets in relation to plug-in hybrids is that the realities of it from a practical sense, whilst it may in terms of social environmental responsibility tick the box with a headline there, the practicalities of day to day with a plug-in hybrid is that people aren’t actually plugging them in.
“So the fleet managers in this world aren’t actually seeing a fuel reduction necessarily. So are you really pulling back your emissions or not?” Kia has said it can launch the Tasman with exclusively diesel power, even as the NVES comes into effect.