Kia’s Telluride sells more than 500,000 units in North America

Kia ‘Telluride’ [Courtesy of Kia Corp.]

Kia’s mid-size SUV, The Telluride, achieved a new milestone as it surpassed 500,000 units in cumulative sales in the North American market. Hyundai Motor Group’s luxury SUV lineup, the Genesis GV series, is poised to reach the same milestone, further solidifying the group’s presence in the global SUV market.

Kia reported that 500,876 units of the Telluride had been sold as of the end of July 2024 since its launch in February 2019, a feat that was accomplished in just five and a half years. The Telluride averaged 5,000 units in monthly sales during the first year of its release, a figure that has now doubled to around 10,000 units per month. Remarkably, the Telluride continues to maintain its popularity in the North American market even in its sixth year on the market, relying solely on its gasoline-powered model without the addition of a hybrid powertrain.

The Telluride is manufactured at Kia’s plant in Georgia and is primarily sold in the United States and Canada, with about 95 percent of its total production being sold in the U.S. market. One of the key factors for its popularity is its strong value proposition. Kia’s U.S. sales division has set the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) for the Telluride at $36,190, making it about 10 percent cheaper than its competitor, the Ford Explorer, which starts at $40,000. The Telluride has also earned accolades for its quality, including being named the 2020 World Car of the Year at the prestigious World Car Awards.

Looking ahead, Kia plans to boost the Telluride’s sales even further with the launch of the second-generation full-change model, with development on the new Telluride, codenamed the “LQ2” project, already underway. The new gasoline model is expected to be released in November 2025 followed by a hybrid model in January 2026, the first time the Telluride lineup will include a hybrid option.

In the luxury SUV segment, Hyundai Motor Group is also expanding its footprint, with the Genesis GV series selling a cumulative 480,604 units globally as of June 2024. With an average of 13,000 units sold per month in 2024 to date, the GV series is expected to reach the 500,000-unit mark within August. The GV80, the first model in the GV lineup, achieved this milestone just four years and seven months after its launch in January 2020.

Despite being a high-priced SUV, the GV series reached an annual global sales volume of 100,000 units within just two years of its release. This success is particularly notable given that it was achieved in competition with other luxury brands such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Lexus in markets worldwide.