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Kia riding high as renders hint at cautious redesign
Kia's U.S. business has been enjoying a standout year, and that success helps explain why the next Telluride might arrive with a conservative, familiar look. Between January and September 2025 Kia America posted its best quarter and highest year-to-date sales ever, delivering 636,148 vehicles through nine months — up 9% year-over-year. September alone saw 65,507 units move out the door, while the third quarter reached 219,637 deliveries. Several models shined: Sportage and Telluride were both up 13%, Carnival surged 48%, and the K5 sedan jumped 85%.
Against that backdrop, it's little surprise Kia will approach a Telluride redesign carefully. The three-row Telluride remains one of the brand’s bestsellers with more than 92,000 deliveries so far, trailing only the refreshed Sportage and the new K4 in unit volume. When a model is this successful, automakers often prefer evolutionary tweaks over dramatic revolutions — a theme echoed in the latest unofficial CGI interpretations.
What the unofficial renders show
Digital artist Nikita Chuicko (known online as "kelsonik") released a set of unofficial renders imagining the second-generation Telluride. These fan-made visuals lean into a boxier, more upright silhouette while keeping the vehicle instantly recognizable as a Telluride.
Key styling cues in the renders
- A larger, borderless take on Kia's tiger-nose grille that preserves brand identity without rewriting it.
- Tall, vertical LED headlights that keep the stacked look but gain more intricate daytime-running light (DRL) signatures.
- A squarer profile suggesting increased interior volume — possibly more legroom for second- and third-row passengers.
- Simplified LED taillights at the rear for a cleaner, modern finish.
These elements point to a pragmatic refresh rather than a full redesign: updated lighting technology, a bolder front end, and proportion changes that could increase cabin space in line with market demand for roomy family SUVs.
How the Telluride compares to the Palisade
Hyundai introduced an extensively redesigned second-generation Palisade earlier in the cycle, and that vehicle took a more dramatic design route. Both SUVs share underpinnings, but Hyundai's approach was bolder. For Kia, the calculus is different: the original Telluride has been a commercial and cultural hit, so incremental improvements — expanding dimensions slightly, honing the grille and light signatures, and refining interior packaging — make more sense from a product-planning standpoint.
Quote: "When a model sells this well, evolution often outperforms revolution," industry analysts say. "Kia can keep the Telluride’s core appeal while modernizing tech and space."
Market positioning and expectations
If the production second-generation Telluride follows the spirit of these renders, expect:
- A family-focused three-row SUV that prioritizes interior comfort and cargo flexibility.
- Updated exterior lighting and grille treatment to keep the model contemporary.
- Likely mechanical continuity with incremental improvements — more tech, possibly mild powertrain refinements, and continued emphasis on value and practicality.
Whether kelsonik’s vision will match the production car remains uncertain, but the renders offer a believable preview of how Kia might balance fresh styling with the Telluride’s proven formula.
In short, enthusiasts should brace for a Telluride that looks familiar but smarter: roomy, slightly more squared-off, and modernized in details — a sensible next step for one of Kia’s most important SUVs.
Source: autoevolution
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