2018 Kia Sorento L on 2040-cars

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Kia plans production version of Telluride full-size SUV

Kia is reportedly planning an announcement on a production version of the Telluride, a full-sized three-row SUV it unveiled as a concept at the 2016 Detroit auto show. The news comes after a year in which Kia lost sales in the hot-selling utility vehicle segment. Wards Auto reports Orth Hedrick, Kia's vice president for product planning, as saying the company will "have some announcements soon" about the seven-passenger vehicle. Sister brand Hyundai is also expected to bring a large crossover in 2019 as a 2020 model. The Telluride was built on the modified underpinnings of Kia's Sorento crossover. It featured a 270-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 paired with a 130-hp electric motor that combined for 30 miles per gallon on the highway in all-wheel drive, though of course there's no guarantee the production version would carry identical specifications. Kia reportedly sees a need in its portfolio for a utility vehicle with more space than is offered by the Sorento, a midsize crossover now in its third generation that also offers three rows of seating. The company could use a boost in the popular segment: Sales of the Sorento slipped 13 percent in 2017 to 99,684, while sales also fell 10 percent for the Sportage, to 72,824. Kia last offered a full-size SUV with the short-lived Borrego, which it launched as a 2009 model. The brand is also developing an electric version of the Niro crossover, which it unveiled recently at CES, that gets 238 miles of range.Related Video: Featured Gallery Kia Telluride Concept View 13 Photos Plants/Manufacturing Kia Crossover SUV kia sorento kia niro Sport Utility kia telluride kia telluride concept

2014 Kia Soul SUV Styling Pack adds some aggression

Last month, Kia released a few photos of the European-market 2014 Soul ahead of its Frankfurt Motor Show reveal, and we happened to notice that the hamster box looked a bit different - a bit tougher. That's because Kia is adding an SUV Styling Pack to the car's options list, which includes the blacked-out lower fascias, wheel arches, side skirts and painted roof seen here.
At the time, we polled Autoblog readers if they thought bringing the optional visuals to SUV-happy North America was a good idea, and the voting split 70.3 percent in favor, 21.4 percent against, and 8.3 percent undecided.
At the present time, Kia representatives tell us that it has no plans to offer the SUV Styling Pack in our market, so you'll have to take a better look at it with our new gallery to decide whether its absence from North American order sheets is a tragedy or not.

Peter Schreyer designs the future of Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis

Peter Schreyer now leads the design teams at Hyundai, Kia, and the new Genesis brand. He has the difficult task of differentiating the three brands aesthetically, even if they share mechanical components. A new profile about the designer by Bloomberg shows just how much he means to the Korean brands, and it's well worth a read. According to Bloomberg, Schreyer has distinctive ideas for the Korean brands' design. A Kia should look sporty and appeal to young buyers. In contrast, a Hyundai would be for someone who prefers a minimalist design. So far, Genesis is blending those traits for its Athletic Elegance design language. Schreyer went to Kia from Volkswagen Group in 2006, and his mission was to revolutionize the Korean's brand's boring look. He succeeded with sharper, more modern designs for vehicles like the Optima and Sorento that arrived after he took over. He did such a good job there that Hyundai-Kia Motor Group appointed him as its first non-Korean president at the end of 2012. He also now oversees former Lamborghini designer Luc Donckerwolke at the Genesis luxury brand. Bloomberg speaks with industry analysts and other designers to get a better idea of Schreyer's meaning to the company. The piece presents him as an easygoing person who knows exactly how each vehicle should look. If you want to get a better Schreyer and his work at Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis, the story is worth checking out. Related Video: