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Kia, Hyundai testing big crossovers, and one looks like the Telluride

Big things are coming from Hyundai and Kia in the near future, and we mean literally. One of our spy photographers caught the companies each testing full-size crossover SUVs out in the snow. The Kia caught our attention in particular, because it looks quite a bit like the Kia Telluride concept from 2016. At the front of the Kia, the entire fascia looks boxy with nary a curve in sight. It also has low-set, squared-off headlights at the far edges; both prominent features on the concept, too. That theme carries over to the back, where the metal portion of the hatch looks plain and flat and is almost perfectly vertical. The glass area leans forward a bit. The taillights also look like those on the concept, with thin vertical portions that make a 90-degree turn inward at the top. A neat design touch not found on the concept are the slight glass extensions into the roof on each side of the windshield. When the concept Telluride was revealed, it was based on the Sorento platform and had a combined 400 horsepower. This power came from a 270-horsepower V6 and a 130-horsepower electric motor, which Kia claimed would provide 30 mpg in all-wheel-drive form. We expect that the Telluride will mainly be offered in non-hybrid forms, and perhaps in diesel form, since this prototype was testing alongside a Volvo XC90 diesel. But we also wouldn't necessarily rule out a hybrid variant like the concept. Kia and Hyundai both are getting serious about hybrids and electrification, and if Kia is targeting something like the XC90, which itself offers a hybrid powertrain, it would make sense that Kia is planning to offer a competing product. A Kia executive said news about the production model is coming "soon," so we'll probably learn more about the production Telluride sometime this year, probably no earlier than the New York Auto Show. View 16 Photos As for the big Hyundai, it will likely take the space the newly downsized Santa Fe has vacated. We're not sure what it might be called, but the last time Hyundai had a crossover bigger than the Santa Fe, it was called the Veracruz, so the name could make a return. Styling-wise, the front of this full-size crossover is right in line with the rest of Hyundai's new-generation crossovers. It has the split headlight design that first showed up on the Kona, with the lower lamps providing primary illumination, and the thin, scowling upper lamps working mainly as daytime running lights.

Kia Australia confirms a pickup truck is in the works

Reports continue to indicate that there will be a Hyundai pickup truck, but this bit of news is about the potential of a Kia pickup. After all, if Hyundai does it, why can’t its corporate cousin Kia get a slice of the pie, too? WeÂ’ve heard rumors of a Kia truck before, but this report is much more definitive about the projectÂ’s existence. Damien Meredith, the Chief Operating Officer of Kia Australia told CarsGuide that the Kia pickup is a go. “Work has begun,” Meredith says. “WeÂ’re talking about a dual-cab, a single cab. What weÂ’ve requested is the full gambit (sic) for the ute, and that (includes) a dual cab with diesel and petrol.” Of course, this is Kia Australia talking. ThereÂ’s no one suggesting that any Australia-specific Kia truck would make it to the United States, but itÂ’s intriguing to know the designers and engineers are on the job. We didnÂ’t previously know that there would be a Kia pickup, but now Meredith is saying it will likely be arriving around 2022 or 2023. The latest on HyundaiÂ’s pickup is that itÂ’ll be launching in 2020, but Hyundai hasnÂ’t confirmed anything yet. Meredith also touted that the Kia pickup wouldnÂ’t be a “lifestyle vehicle,” but more of a serious pickup truck. Would Kia actually make a body-on-frame pickup to compete against trucks like the Ford Ranger or Toyota Hilux in other markets? ThatÂ’s certainly nothing like what we think the Hyundai Santa Cruz pickup is going to be like. That's expected to be a unibody pickup, similar to the Honda Ridgeline in stature and drivability. The more we read into this, the more this pickup is looking like a body-on-frame utility vehicle for markets outside the United States. Kia could sell the truck in Asia, Australia and other markets where the international version of the Ranger and Hilux are offered. Will it ever see the U.S. market if this is the case? Probably not. Although the Ranger ended up here, it did so after substantial re-engineering. The Hilux and other trucks like the VW Amarok remain for other countries only. We'd expect the Kia truck as described by Meredith to be so as well. 

Kia prepping Provo-inspired Mazda CX-3 challenger for 2017

Kia will be joining the fray in the sub-compact crossover segment, Australia's Motoring reports. The company could introduce a challenger to the Mazda CX-3, Jeep Renegade, Honda HR-V, and Toyota C-HR as early as this year's Los Angeles Auto Show. Kia Australia COO Damien Meredith told Motoring the new CUV will ride on the same platform as the redesigned Rio, and Kia will build the two compacts alongside each other, in South Korea. Kia hasn't gotten so far as naming the new crossover – at least it's not as far as wanting to publish a name – but it should draw inspiration from the Provo Concept the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. But it's tough to predict what that means. The Provo is, after all, a small hatchback. If Meredith came out and said it'd inspire the next Rio, it'd be an easier pill to swallow, but converting such an aggressive vehicle to CUV duty while retaining the overall look could be a challenge. That said, Kia's designs have become increasingly extroverted over the past several years – we can't wait to see what Peter Schreyer and his team come up with. According to Motoring, the Rio-based CUV could hit the market in the third quarter of 2017, which would put it several months behind the redesigned Rio. While that applies to the Australian market, a debut at Los Angeles or even in January 2017 at Detroit could lead to a similar timeline for a US on-sale date. Related Video: