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From SUV to Workhorse: A Digital Reimagining
Digimods Design on YouTube recently dropped a striking set of digital renderings that recast the new-generation Kia Telluride as a practical dual-cab pickup. The idea isn’t official — it’s a CGI exercise — but the result is convincing enough to spark conversation among SUV and pickup fans. The render keeps familiar Telluride styling from the front doors forward, then shifts into a much more utilitarian rear half: added plastic cladding, revised rear windows and a completely new tail end.
Design highlights
The imagined Telluride pickup borrows the SUV’s character lines and lights up front but trades the Telluride’s enclosed cargo area for a broad open bed and restyled three-quarter panels. Notable visual changes include:
- A swinging tailgate with an integrated license-plate recess
- A beefier, work-oriented rear bumper
- Smaller-looking wheels compared with the production Telluride
- A green paint scheme accented with black trim in the render
Despite the back-of-the-vehicle makeover, the taillights and several cues remain clearly Telluride-derived, keeping a visual link to Kia’s flagship three-row SUV.
Interior and tech: telltale Telluride
If Kia ever built a pickup variant, the logical approach would be to retain the Telluride’s cabin — and the render follows that logic. The interior is portrayed with dual 12.3-inch displays behind a rectangular glass panel, the same tiered dash, three-spoke steering wheel, door cards, center console and armrest. Ambient lighting, the seating layout and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) would also carry over from the SUV, ensuring the pickup felt modern and well equipped.
Powertrain options: turbo and hybrid
The render assumes the Telluride pickup would use the same drivetrain choices as the production model. Those include:
- Turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder: around 274 bhp (278 PS/204 kW) and 311 lb-ft (422 Nm) of torque — the unit that phased out the old naturally aspirated V6.
- Turbo Hybrid 2.5L: pairing the four-cylinder with electric assistance and a 1.65 kWh battery for a combined output near 329 hp (334 PS/245 kW) and 339 lb-ft (460 Nm).
Non-hybrid Telluride models use an eight-speed automatic and are available in FWD or AWD; the Turbo Hybrid features a six-speed automatic and all-wheel drive capability. There’s no battery-electric Telluride planned — that role is covered by the larger Kia EV9.
Market reality: render vs. Kia strategy
A key point to keep in mind: this pickup is purely a designer’s exercise. Kia has not announced plans to turn the second-generation Telluride or other high-riding SUVs into genuine work trucks. The automaker’s product roadmap currently leans on dedicated EVs for electrified segments and established pickups for utility buyers.
Quick facts:
- Render: Digimods Design (YouTube)
- Telluride order books: expected Q1 2026 for the production SUV
- EV pickup: no official Telluride EV planned; EV9 covers electric flagship needs
Whether the world wants a Telluride pickup is an open question. The CGI shows a blend of family-SUV refinement up front and practical pickup utility at the back — an attractive proposition for buyers who want both comfort and cargo capability. But for now it remains a creative ‘what if’ rather than a production preview.
Would you swap your midsize SUV for a Telluride-based pickup? Share your take: bold concept or styling mismatch?
Source: autoevolution
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