Kia to Make Announcement on Production Telluride SUV Soon

At the 2016 North American International Auto Show, Kia introduced the Telluride concept – large, seven-seat SUV that was designed specifically for American-sized families. 

At the time, the Korean automaker said the Telluride wasn’t green-lit for production. The company was likely waiting to see just how much demand there was for a big, Kia-badged SUV, but with crossover and SUV sales reaching new heights in the two years since the Telluride’s introduction, the three-row SUV is a no-brainer, in our opinion.

Kia agrees with us. Speaking to AutoGuide at the 2018 New York International Auto Show, Kia product boss Orth Hedrick all but confirmed the Telluride has been green-lit for production and is on its way. When asked if the concept would see the light of day one day soon, Hedrick told us to keep a close eye on Kia for an announcement in the near future.

“Stay tuned for more details,”  Hedrick said. “We haven’t (confirmed the Telluride) yet, but we have some details coming, and we’ll leave it at that.”

We followed up Hedrick’s response by explaining Subaru’s reasoning for introducing the Ascent. Subaru has a whole family of crossovers, but found that once a customer’s family became large, they were forced to leave the brand. Kia is experiencing the same issue, Hedrick explained, which is why it’s going ahead with the Telluride.

“It’s the same story for us,” he said. “A lot of these brands that don’t have (a big SUV) in their portfolio that are relatively new, we’re all going for the same thing.”

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Kia’s also keen to grow its compact and small crossover portfolio. Kia North America missed out on the compact Stonic, which was developed for Europe specifically, but will likely receive a new Soul in its place. The automaker also recently added the hybrid Niro to its crossover lineup, but as far as Hedrick is concerned, there’s no such thing as too many crossovers.

“Oh my gosh, yes,” Hedrick said when asked if Kia wants more crossovers. “That’s where all the action is at in the market now. In certain segments, like entry-level and compact CUV, it’s just exploding. And you look at some of the other brands, their growth, it’s the number one vehicle and they expect it to grow even more. So the trend’s not over, a lot of buyers are really interested in that CUV space.”

Spy shots of the next-generation Kia Soul indicate the compact crossover is not too far off. AutoGuide photographed a prototype for the popular CUV testing in wintery conditions earlier this year, fueling speculation that it may come with all-wheel drive. A hybrid Soul likely won’t be on the cards due to the existence of the Niro and the return of the Soul EV. The production version of the Telluride, on the other hand, could very well be a hybrid – with the concept getting its power from a 3.5-liter Lambda V6 engine and electric motor.

The next of these new SUVs and crossovers to appear will probably be the Soul, which is expected to be shown sometime in early 2019 as a 2020 model year vehicle.

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