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Kia Pickup Truck Rendered With Telluride Styling Cues, Doesn’t Look Half Bad

In production since 2019 for the 2020 model year, the Kia Telluride is a commercially successful utility vehicle manufactured in the U.S. in West Point, Georgia. Twinned with the South Korea-built Hyundai Palisade, the larger sibling of the Sorento received a well-deserved refresh in April 2022 for the 2023 model year at the New York International Auto Show.
Kia pickup truck rendering by SRK Designs 40 photos
Photo: SRK Designs on YouTube
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Given its relation to Hyundai, pixel artist SRK Designs imagined a unibody pickup that appears to be a size larger than the Santa Cruz. Not only is the mid-size crossover longer than the Santa Cruz, but SRK Designs added a few inches to the wheelbase to accommodate the bed. Pictured in Jungle Green combined with bi-tone wheels, the design study makes plenty of sense in the U.S.A. where pickup trucks reign supreme.

The unibody construction has a certain appeal to it as well, for it promises better handling and improved ride comfort over body-on-frame pickups. On the other hand, a mid-size unibody truck with Telluride styling cues wouldn’t be a value-oriented proposition versus body-on-frame pickups.

The 2023 model year Telluride carries a starting price of $35,690 excluding the destination freight charge. By comparison, the soon-to-be-refreshed Ranger is listed on Ford’s website at $27,400 for the most basic of configurations. The compact-sized Hyundai Santa Cruz is currently going for $25,450, whereas the Ford Maverick can be had for $22,195.

We also have to remember that unibody trucks are limited in their payload and towing capacities, a compromise that certain prospective customers aren’t willing to make. What’s more, 2023 could be another difficult year for the U.S. automotive industry as per Wall Street analysts and experts.

Regardless of what’s in the offing for both automakers and customers, Kia intends to launch a couple of pickups in the near future. Back in March 2022, during the Kia CEO Investor Day, the South Korean automaker confirmed three new all-electric vehicles in the form of two pickups and an entry-level vehicle for emerging markets. One of those pickups will rock an electric-only platform, likely the E-GMP or a derivate of the E-GMP, whereas the other is based on a yet-unspecified ICE architecture.

The former is most likely developed with the United States in mind, and the latter could be aimed at more cost-sensitive markets. Kia didn’t mention the segments in which these pickups will slot in. The least it can do for the United States-bound truck is a compact à la the Santa Cruz, but a mid-size truck is also possible. Where is this truck going to be made?

As you’re well aware, the U.S. imposes a 25-percent tariff on imported light trucks. In other words, the only potential assembly plant for the all-electric pickup would be Metaplant America in Georgia.

Scheduled to start EV production in 2025, the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America will make only EVs for the Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis brands. If there’s a case to be made for internal combustion, then Kia can always use the West Point factory where the Telluride is manufactured.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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