Light up has released the first dark teaser images of the second generation Telluride before its unveiling in Los Angeles Auto Show End of November.
From the two teaser images provided, we can see that the new Telluride will continue to feature tall headlights, albeit now with vertical graphics. As before, the grille is large and wide, subtly continuing the tiger nose design that Kia has used since the late 2000s.
A floating roof look is created as the windows, the A-pillar and the top of the D-pillar all have blackened frames. In keeping with the current trend, the Telluride may have flush pop-out door handles.
According to Kia, the new SUV will have “aggressively defined triangular creases in the fenders,” a nod to the peaks of the surrounding Colorado city, the car’s namesake, located deep in the heart of the Rocky Mountains.
To differentiate the Telluride from its sister model, the Hyundai Palisade, the Kia is slightly more off-road focused. It is currently available in X-Line and X-Pro versions, which feature a higher ride height, improved approach and departure angles, self-leveling suspension and a more robust design.
Under the skin, the Telluride has a lot in common with the Palisade. In their first generations, the two SUVs had identical wheelbases and almost identical external dimensions.
The second generation Palisade has a wheelbase of 2970m (an increase of 70mm over the original model) and a body length of just over 5m. It is obvious that the upcoming second generation of Telluride will also grow a little.
The new model is widely expected to ditch the current 217kW/355Nm 3.8-litre V6 petrol engine. It’s rumored to be replaced by a 214kW/353Nm naturally aspirated 3.5-litre V6 and a 245kW/460Nm 2.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid, both available in Stateside Palisades.
The new Telluride will launch in the US in 2026, but it looks like the new model, like the current one, will not be sold in Australia.
While the Palisade is manufactured in both the United States and South Korea, the Telluride has only been manufactured at Kia’s Georgia plant, which has not yet produced right-hand drive vehicles.
Kia Australia general manager of product planning Roland Rivero said this situation made it “very, very difficult” to bring the Telluride to Australia.
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