Aussie sport celebs star in new Kia ute TVC

UNLESS you’ve been living under a rock for the past decade, you’d know all too well that Kia is in fact getting a ute.

Now, in sharing that information publicly, Kia Australia has launched a new television commercial in which 20 Australia sporting icons get together to jostle over the name of the all-new model.

Airing on Sunday, March 3, the TVC campaign confirms Kia Australia’s entry into the highly competitive ute market, the only information of note in the Korean manufacturer’s press release that it is now officially accepting expressions of interest for the model.

Due to be unveiled in late 2024, and in local showrooms from 2025, the model will bring yet another rival to a segment that features Australia’s top-three best-selling models: the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux, and Isuzu D-Max.

Kia’s advertisement for the forthcoming model takes place in an iconic Aussie pub where the sporting legends are gathered to debate the new ute’s name.

“Kia Australia has always been very candid about our desire to bring a light commercial vehicle to the local market, so it is with great excitement that we are taking an important step towards it becoming a reality,” said Kia Australia CEO Damien Meredith.

“We are now officially taking expressions of interest (EOI) on the Kia Australia website for both private and fleet customers, and we invite all ute-loving Australians to sign up and join us on the journey.

“As an incentive, the EOI group will be kept up to date of the latest news and developments from now, right up until its Australia launch in 2025.

“This includes (details of) an extensive ride and handling program, covering tens of thousands of unrelenting Aussie kilometres, to ensure it meets the hard-working requirements of the Aussie public.

Kia Australia general manager of marketing, Dean Norbiato, said the inspiration for the TVC came from the time-honoured Aussie tradition of everyone having a nickname.

“We were looking for a unique and quintessentially Aussie way to launch Kia’s most Australian product ever – our ute – and what better way than to bring together our country’s most iconic themes: sporting heroes, nicknames, and an old-fashioned Aussie watering hole,” he said.

Mr. Norbiato said the campaign features what is arguably the biggest group of famous faces in an Australian TVC yet, boasting between them 29 premierships, 26 grand slams, nine Hall of Fame entrants, six sporting captains, four paralympic gold medals, four world championships, three Melbourne Cups, two Australians of the Year, two Young Australians of the Year, and one golden slam.