KIA

The new Asian brand pickup truck

It's no secret that the pickup truck market is a cash cow for many automakers, and with small pickups gaining popularity again, should a Kia Telluride pickup truck be considered?
Kia Telluride Forums recently released a rendering of what they think a truck based on the new Telluride three-row SUV could look like. With Kia's sister brand Hyundai also considering entering the compact pickup market with the Santa Cruz, it would not be crazy for a larger mid-size truck from Kia.
Although it would have unibody construction, the renders picture the Telluride pickup as off-road focused. Although the Telluride's AWD system sends power to the front axle by default, the system can also be locked for even distribution. The truck will be powered by the same 3.8-liter V6 that outputs 291 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque. Although pickup trucks from Asian automakers (with the exception of Toyota), do not perform that well in terms of sales, this Telluride truck actually looks pretty good. It certainly looked better than the Honda Ridgeline, Ford Ranger, and aging Nissan Frontier, but perhaps not as solid as the Tacoma. Do you think it could be a success? Let us know in the comments. By Jodi Lai