KIA revealed the Telluride SUV concept in Detroit, a large, muscular seven-seater crossover with suicide doors.
The Telluride is an exercise study in how KIA can play with its design language in order to offer an SUV with more attitude on the outside while packed with the latest tech on the inside. What this implies is that the Korean company wants to measure the public’s reaction to the Telluride and decide whether they should offer a premium SUV above the Sorento or not.
Both the front and rear suicide doors swing open 90 degrees, “creating an expansive and inviting portal into the panoramic interior space and revealing a technological showcase”. The concept’s cabin features four single “captain’s seats” with the third row being a folding bench.
Each of these captain’s seats are embedded with sensors that capture the passenger’s vital information which are then displayed on the interior door panel screens and synchronized with a Light Emitted Rejuvenation system (LER).
The LER system uses a massive LED panel mounted beneath the panoramic sunroof which displays a pattern of therapeutic light to treat the potential jetlag of the passengers, improving their energy levels. Sounds expensive, doesn’t it?
The KIA Telluride also features a Swipe Command gesture-control system for the second row’s passengers which allow them to control the audio system while the dashboard, door panels and steering wheel feature the company’s first use of 3D-printed components.
The concept is based upon a modified Sorento chassis. The wheelbase is stretched by 11.9 inches to provide limo-like passenger room while the wheels are now measuring 22 inches in diameter and are dressed in 275/45 tyres.
A plug-in hybrid powertrain which combines a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine and an electric motor produces a combined 400hp (270hp from the V6 and 130hp from the electric motor) and helps the Telluride to achieve more than 30mpg US on the highway.
There are no official plans to bring the Telluride into production, although KIA is really interested in what the public thinks of it. So, what do you think?