Korean automaker adds hybrid powertrain to steady-selling SUV to meet increasing demand
Kia debuted the all-new Telluride, its flagship three-row sport utility vehicle, at AutoMobility LA 2025 in Los Angeles on Thursday, introducing a newly added hybrid powertrain for the already-popular model.
Having undergone a full revamp, the all-new Telluride is the second generation of the original large SUV, which was launched in 2019 in the United States as a model specifically developed for the North American market.
“With the launch of the second-generation Telluride, our design and product planning team had an incredible challenge: Develop an all-new SUV that was its own, unique product, while encapsulating many of the elements that made the original Telluride a historic success,” said Yoon Seung-kyu, CEO of Kia North America and Kia America.
“The 2027 Telluride is a capable and sophisticated SUV that embodies our approach to bringing innovative, consumer-focused products to market.”
The revamped exterior of the all-new Telluride features Kia’s constellation-inspired Star-Map Signature Lighting, whose vertical headlamps echo the brand’s design philosophy of “Opposites United.”
Kia pointed out that the new SUV measures 5,060 millimeters in length with a 2,969 mm wheelbase, which is 58 mm and 69 mm longer than the previous generation, respectively, resulting in greater legroom and comfort in the second and third rows. The automaker noted that the second row can slide farther forward than before to allow for easier access to the third row.
The newly added 2.5-liter turbo hybrid powertrain is estimated to have a driving range of up to 965 kilometers, a fuel efficiency of 14.9 kilometers per liter, and a combined output of 329 horsepower, according to Kia.
Since its US launch in 2019, the Telluride has steadily gained ground in the American large SUV segment, with Kia selling 75,119 units in 2020, 99,465 units in 2022, and 115,504 units last year. According to the automaker, over 650,000 units of the Telluride were sold in the US between its launch and October this year.
The second-generation Telluride, which will be assembled at Kia’s West Point plant in Georgia, is expected to go on sale in the US in the first quarter of next year.
hwkan@heraldcorp.com
