The 2020 Kia Telluride surprised everyone when it made its much-awaited debut on Saturday at Brandon Maxwell's event during the New York Fashion Week.
Kia decided to unveil its new ride at the event of the esteemed fashion designer after it donated to Maxwell's childhood school district in Marfa, Texas. The Telluride was also tailored to be fit with Maxwell's Texas-themed fashion stroke for the summer and spring of 2019.
Maxwell who designed his SS'19 collection said that he was honored to collaborate with Kia Motors, reiterating that the automobile company has had a rich history of philanthropic actions. He added the move will not only benefit the technology purchases and educational programming of students but also its local teachers.
Prior to the revelation of the Telluride, the concept first came to existence at the Detroit Auto Show in 2016. Pricing details of the Telluride have yet to be announced but Autoblog noted that the ride will most likely be available early next year. The up-and-coming crossover will be designed in the factory of Kia in Georgia.
More Spacious Than The Sorento
Kia has managed to step its game up as the company revealed that the Telluride will have a seating capacity of up to eight passengers, which is a few inches longer and wider than the seven-passenger Sorento. Beyond that, the Telluride will also come with a V6 under the hood, but Kia has yet to specify as to whether they will include turbos into it.
Interestingly, the interior of the Telluride bears a resemblance to a sharper version of the K900. In addition, it is also decked with three rows of seating and a cargo area made of wood and leather. Moreover, industry experts also project that the Telluride will boast a front-wheel-drive-based unibody platform, which will be the same as the rumored Hyundai SUV known as the Palisade.
The Telluride will also exhibit custom peripherals such as skid plates, ladder, a hatch-mounted spare tire, off-road bumpers, an intake snorkel, a roof rack, and auxiliary lights. Likewise, the concept also consists of a plug-in hybrid powertrain and an electric motor to come up with a 400 horsepower.
Yahoo described the styling of Telluride as bold, citing that it showed some spitting images with old-fashioned, body-on-frame SUV designs such as the GMC Yukon and the Chevrolet Tahoe. On a related note, CNET mentioned that while the Telluride has a boxy exterior, the Texas-inspired ride won't be a challenger to the Toyota Land Cruiser.
