Kia Telluride three-row SUV will make it to production, report claims
It might not fully resemble the concept, but Kia does want another three-row SUV in its stable.
Kia already has a three-row SUV, but the Sorento is only technically a mid-sizer. What's the company to do, then, if it wants something larger? Thankfully, there's a concept for that.
Kia is working on a production version of its Telluride concept, Motoring.com.au reports, citing a roundtable conversation with design chief Peter Schreyer at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show . Kia did not immediately return a request for comment, but odds are if Kia's design chief is talking about it, it's not just speculation.
I really hope that super-boxy front end sticks around.
Sadly, Motoring.com.au wasn't able to juice Kia's suits for any particularly salient details. Kia Australia's COO told the outlet that big SUVs are hot right now, and that something of that size can stand as a halo for an entire lineup, but that's not really new -- it's basically Carmaking Strategy 101.
While it's likely that a production version of the Telluride will be fairly different than the concept, it's likely that it will retain its massive physical footprint. The Telluride concept rides on a stretched Sorento platform -- in all, it's 4.4 inches taller, 4.7 inches wider and 9.5 inches longer than Kia's current largest SUV.
The Telluride debuted at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show. Sporting a traditional large SUV shape, it packed unique quad-lamp headlights, suicide doors and the droopiest taillights I think I've ever seen. Being a concept, it had some weird tech in there, too. The interior emitted therapeutic light and the seats contained sensors that tracked an occupant's vitals.
Something as large as the Telluride will need a good deal of power to get movin'. In concept form, the Telluride packed a plug-in hybrid powertrain good for 400 horsepower sent to all four wheels. Kia's got plenty of PHEV experience, so a similar setup could very well make it to production, but we've got quite some time before anything of that sort is confirmed.
