Kia shifts further upmarket with Telluride hybrid

Concept is pitched as being more luxurious than current largest SUV Sorrento

Kia Telluride: three-row seven-seater with reverse-opening rear doors. Photograph: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg
Kia Telluride: three-row seven-seater with reverse-opening rear doors. Photograph: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg

Kia’s evolution from an affordable car brand into a full-line, completely credible mainstream front-runner looks complete with the debut of the seven-seat Telluride plug-in hybrid.

Stacked with technology and built using everything from cutting edge multimedia to 3D printing systems, the Telluride has given a strong hint that Kia is set to deliver a full-sized SUV for the second time.

Taller, wider and longer than the Sorrento, the Telluride is a plug-in hybrid that’s also pitched as being more luxurious than Kia’s largest current production SUV.

A pure concept car, the Telluride is a three-row seven- seater with reverse-opening rear doors that open to 90 degrees and Kia hopes it will prove that it’s serious about moving even further upmarket.

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"The Kia Telluride makes an aesthetic statement for the Kia brand as a bold, all-new luxury SUV with an abundance of advanced technology, focusing particular attention on the experience and comfort of second-row occupants," said Kia Design Centre America chief designer Tom Kearns.