Kia Adds Telluride EREV for 2029 as Hybrid and Electrified Truck Plans Grow

• Kia plans a Telluride extended-range electric vehicle launch for 2029.

• The all-new 2027 Telluride is expected to grow the midsize three-row SUV’s take rate.

• Kia will expand its hybrid lineup to eight models.

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We’ve reported on Kia’s upcoming introduction of a new midsize body-on-frame pickup. This time, Kia’s talking about an electrification push that will include both additional hybrids and two extended-range electric vehicles before 2030. The plan, presented during the company’s 2026 CEO Investor Day in Seoul, centres on high-volume segments including a three-row SUV and the pickup.

A Telluride EREV is scheduled to arrive in 2029. Kia did not release technical details, battery size, output figures or electric-only range for the model. It also did not say where the vehicle would be built or whether other markets outside North America would receive the same configuration.

The revised electrification strategy reflects the industry’s current recalibration. As EV demand has cooled, though it has warmed up recently with skyrocketing gasoline prices, product planning has become harder to forecast. Several automakers have put more emphasis on conventional hybrids while also exploring EREV systems. These powertrains use electric motors to drive the vehicle, while a gasoline engine acts as a generator once the battery is depleted.

The format is drawing attention for large SUVs and pickups, where full battery-electric layouts can require expensive, heavy packs. A smaller battery paired with a range-extending engine could give manufacturers another way to reduce cost pressure while still offering substantial electrified driving capability.

The 2029 calendar-year launch of the extended-range Telluride will have it competing with other expected EREVs from Jeep, Scout, and Hyundai, as well as pitting it against full EVs such as the Toyota Highlander, Subaru Getaway, and some of its other kin in the Kia EV9 and Hyundai Ioniq 9.

Kia will also increase its hybrid lineup to eight by the end of the decade. The Niro, Sorento, Sportage, Carnival and Telluride already have hybrid versions. Kia said the Seltos Hybrid will join them this year, followed by hybrid variants of the K5, K4 and the future pickup.

Source: InsideEvs