The Kia Towner was a small commercial vehicle of Korea’s kei class, built from May 1992 to October 2002. It was based on the seventh-generation Daihatsu Hijet and was sold as a truck, a coach and a panel van, and it was the only kei vehicle in Korea with a tachometer.
Kia Towner at a glance
| Maker | Asia Motors, then Kia |
|---|---|
| Production | 1 May 1992–20 October 2002 |
| Based on | Daihatsu Hijet, seventh generation |
| Models | S80 and S82 |
| Engine | 796 cc three-cylinder, petrol or LPG |
| Power, LPG | 35 hp and 5.5 kg-m |
| Power, petrol | 40 hp and 6.0 kg-m |
| Price in 1992 | 3.65 million won for the truck, 4.61 million for the seven-seat coach |
| Gradeability | 21 degrees |
| Turning radius | 3.6 metres |
| Built | 86,339 |
Based mainly on one source, the Korean Wikipedia article on the Towner; no free photograph of the vehicle was found.
History of the Kia Towner
The Towner was launched on 1 May 1992 on the platform of the seventh-generation Daihatsu Hijet. Asia Motors had sent production workers to Daihatsu in Japan for training from May 1991, before the Towner went on sale. In 1992 the truck cost 3.65 million won and the seven-seat coach 4.61 million, and the actress Choi Jin-sil appeared in its advertising. The truck began as a short cargo model, and a long cargo version with an extended load bed was added later.
Engineering
The Towner could climb a 21-degree slope and turned in a radius of 3.6 metres. It used a 796 cc three-cylinder engine in two forms: an LPG unit of 35 hp and 5.5 kg-m, and a petrol unit of 40 hp and 6.0 kg-m. Unusually for a kei vehicle it had a tachometer. The range covered a seven or five-seat coach, a five-seat multi, a two-seat panel van, a standard truck, a long cargo truck and insulated and refrigerated bodies for delivery work.
The Kia years
In June 1999 Asia Motors was absorbed into Kia Motors, and the Towner continued in Kia’s commercial vehicle division. In 2000 the petrol engine was dropped and a minor change added equipment: a coloured stripe on the bumpers, a heated rear window and wiper, new side decals and a new rear emblem, with power door locks and windows made standard.
The Towner was discontinued on 20 October 2002 because it could not meet emission rules, together with the Kia Combi and Kia Cosmos and without a successor. That ended Kia’s presence in the kei commercial market. A total of 86,339 were built.
Design and features
- Kei class: a tiny cab-over van and truck for narrow streets and light loads.
- Daihatsu base: built on the seventh-generation Hijet.
- Tachometer: the only kei vehicle in Korea to have one.
- Many bodies: coach, multi, panel van, cargo truck and refrigerated van.
Kia Towner versions
- Towner truck (1992–2002): short cargo, later also long cargo.
- Seven and five-seat coach: the passenger versions.
- Panel van (two seats): the commercial body.
- Refrigerated and insulated vans: for home delivery work.
The Towner was Kia’s smallest commercial vehicle, far below the Bongo, and it was dropped at the same time as the mid-size Cosmos bus. More Kia models are in the Kia collection.
Sources
- Kia Towner, Korean Wikipedia: dates, engines, prices, bodies, production total
- Daihatsu Hijet, English Wikipedia: the model the Towner was based on
