Hyundai and Kia are jumping back into the large crossover segment with two models recently spotted by spy photographers.
One appears to be the Kia Telluride, which debuted as a concept at the 2016 Detroit auto show. Production plans for the Telluride have been the subject of speculation ever since.
The unidentified Hyundai model, which has a different grille design from the Kia, is expected to be built on the same platform as the Telluride. It will be the biggest Hyundai crossover since the Veracruz was dropped in 2013.
Both large crossovers are expected to offer three rows of seating and room for seven passengers and square off against the Ford Explorer, Toyota Highlander and Chevrolet Traverse.
The production version of the Telluride would be the largest SUV or crossover in the Kia lineup since the body-on-frame Borrego. The Borrego didn’t last long in the U.S. after going on sale in 2008, just as gasoline prices rose above $4 per gallon. It was powered by Kia’s first V8 engine but yanked from the U.S. after low sales.
U.S. sales of large crossovers rose 15 percent in 2017, making them one of the industry’s hottest light-truck segments. Deliveries of large crossovers are up 14 percent this year.
“Hyundai, Kia bringing back large crossovers” originally appeared in Automotive News on 3/5/2018
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