The Kia Telluride is a big SUV that can carry lots of people and stuff. The 2027 version has a hybrid engine, which means it uses both gas and electricity to save fuel.
When a car is called second generation, it means it's a newer version that is different and improved from the first one. It's like a new model of the same car.
The Kia Sportage is a smaller SUV that is popular because it looks good and is affordable. It's good for people who want a smaller car with SUV features.
The Kia EV9 is a fully electric SUV made by Kia. It doesn't use gas and is designed to be roomy and high-tech. It's part of Kia's plan to sell more electric cars.
The BMW X5 is a fancy SUV that drives well and has lots of nice features. People often trade it in when they want a newer car.
LIVE
Well, today we're sitting here in the 2027 Kia Telluride, correct?
That is correct.
We are sitting in the hybrid 2027 Telluride.
With Russell from Kia, your VP of marketing and sales.
I'm the VP of marketing, Eric Watson is our VP of sales, he was here yesterday but you
get me today.
Okay, so I don't want to try, I'm not going to, I'm not trying to insult you or anything
but do you have the easiest job now in the company with this kind of cars?
You can hardly keep them in the dealership.
As soon as they get out of the production line in Georgia, they're out.
They call it the sell right, right?
Dealers do that.
We don't.
But you know, I don't know if it's the easiest job because, you know, last year we sold a
little over 120,000 of them.
Yeah.
Of course, you try to improve always.
Always.
And we increased the production in our West Point Georgia plant where it's built just
outside of Atlanta by 50%.
So I don't know it's the easiest job because now we're trying to sell more, right?
Yeah, of course.
But always in the industry they say any problem in the car company is solved with good product.
And you guys have amazing product, especially this one that has been a huge success from
the very beginning in 2019, I believe it was when it came out first.
Yeah.
So it's been on sale since 2019 and we started by selling about 60,000 in the first year.
And last year, like I said, a little over 120,000 and we've now increased capacity to
go more than 180,000.
Yeah.
So let's talk about what it's basically a new car, right?
Like even though it just debuted seven years ago, typically car companies do a kind of
refresh or significant refresh and I call it completely new.
But in this case, it's completely new, right?
Completely.
Second generation, completely new.
For the past six years, we've made improvements on the first generation, but this is all new.
All new exterior, all new interior, new powertrain, hybrid option.
So yes, all new.
So obviously the company has evolved a lot since it first came to the U.S. in West
Basel than 89, I think it was.
We've been around for more than 30 years.
30 years.
So at the very beginning, struggling, but like the whole perception has changed, especially
with this car and then the logo, or I don't know what order was it, but no, because I
believe this one still had the old logo when it first came out.
That's correct.
So I don't know what car...
So 2019 is when Telluride launched and then we changed our logo in 21-22.
Oh, 21-22.
And that's been a huge difference, right?
And again, at the beginning also, the logo was a little bit controversial, but I was
talking to Song Lee, the product manager for this vehicle, and he was telling me how that
has changed a lot the perception of, especially of younger buyers, because they don't remember
what happened 30 years ago.
Yeah.
I mean, initially there were some people that thought it looked like a logo from a band,
a rock band, and everyone kept asking us like, are you concerned about that?
And I said, no.
And the reason it's not is because any time you see our new logo, it is either on a car
or in an advertisement that we are putting on that has the car in it.
So it took a couple of years to get full recognition.
Like anything else, changes a little bit.
But now people know.
So speaking of ads, I mean, you guys do amazing, amazing, German.
You are sharing some information about the impact of those ads.
Can you tell us, because you are liking everything, you're liking the NBA, you're going to be
in the World Cup.
So tell us about all that, because that's really, really exciting.
I mean, we're going to talk more about the car, obviously, but I think your efforts in
marketing obviously help a lot and tell us the results are amazing because the return
of investment and the interest immediately after.
Yeah.
So thank you for bringing that up.
So we have been employing a simple strategy since the Telluride launched in 2019, trying
to make sure that everyone knows we offer capable SUVs and sporty sedans.
And then recently we added, of course, innovative electrified vehicles.
And because we've been talking a consistent message, we have built up that not only people
know that our Telluride is capable, but the rest of our lineup, our Sorento, our Sportage,
our Seltos, everybody feels that if they're going to get a Kia SUV, they know it's going
to have some sort of capability.
So that consistency has built up over time.
And it's allowed us that when we track our ads, anytime we're seeing an ad run, we immediately
afterwards see how much search interest it generated.
Whether it's a Telluride spot that would be Kia or Telluride, we see how much the Google
searches and all the online searches went up.
It's amazing you can do that now.
I probably, when you started in the industry, you had to wait weeks or months to see something
now like immediate.
We are getting daily updates, weekly updates.
We can see that.
And the new Telluride spots are doing amazing.
They're performing well.
People are searching for it immediately.
We've got a lot of loyalty current Telluride buyers that are looking for the new Telluride.
So far, so good.
Yeah.
So going back to, oh, no, no, before we go to that, tell us about the ad campaigns.
You started the NBA.
You were at the Ulster game.
You were the Ulster presenter almost.
Who saw your picture tonight?
So one of the strategies we've deployed is live events.
And people are much, very much more engaged in live events.
So we started with the Winter Olympics, right?
We started our campaign with the Olympic Olympics, captured the country, whether you
are from the U.S., not from the U.S., you have a favorite country.
You want to watch that.
So we did that for two weeks, got people to start seeing what we had out there.
The NBA All-Star game, we just switched over.
The broadcast used to be on TNT Turner, Great Station cable network, switched over to NBC.
Viewership went from four to eight million people, doubled.
We're fortunate enough that we sponsor the NBA and the All-Star and the MVP.
So, yeah, I was able to give the MVP trophy for the All-Star game.
That's what I saw, yeah.
It was very nice.
It was a very nice gentleman, a little taller than me, but it was very nice.
And now we're going to continue into its March.
It's March Madness for NCAA.
We'll be part of that.
And then there's a small little thing coming up this summer called the FIFA World Cup that
will be around as well.
So, last night at dinner, we were talking about our past lives.
I was a sports writer.
Okay.
I covered six World Cups.
And yeah, it's an amazing thing.
And also going into the new ways of immediate communication, immediate post and all that,
like the World Cup this year is going to be incredible because one is in three countries,
Mexico, US, and Canada, your biggest markets, I guess, for Kia in the world, I don't know.
North America is the largest market.
Yes.
So, you're going to have a huge impact on that.
And then, like, if I'm seeing the ads for now that you have, I just can't imagine.
Obviously, you don't need to tell me now because you're working on that.
But the ads that you have put, especially for the hybrid and then the expo version of
the off-road are really, really amazing and engaging.
I mean, all the ads.
I mean, I remember the one with the Skate.
Skating.
The Skating.
Yes.
That was like two years ago.
That was two years ago for EV9, yes.
Yeah, amazing.
Creative ads there.
And so, they're working, right?
I mean, you cannot keep up with sales.
I mean, they're like keep going.
You said a good double.
So, tell us.
I mean, you said it's new.
What are the highlights?
I guess there are so many, but the hybrid powertrain is one of them.
So, let's start with, we're giving customers more choices, right?
So, prior to this generation, the second generation Telluride, we had a great Telluride.
It offered a V6 and that was it.
It was a V6 engine.
Now, what you can get is first and foremost, you can get a hybrid.
The hybrid, it has more torque than the outgoing V6.
It has more range over 600 mile range.
So, it does everything you need it to do and saves you a little bit on the fuel, right?
Absolutely.
So, that's one side.
Then we go to X-Pro.
The X-Pro gas engine also has more torque, even though it's a 2.5 turbo.
It has more torque and power than the outgoing V6 engine.
So, no one's going to miss anything.
They're going to get a better performance of that.
And then we've added even more capability elements.
On the front and rear are tow hooks.
Not that anyone's...
They look really cool, by the way.
And they're completely useful.
They will work if you need them.
Most people won't.
We've also raised the ground clearance.
It's 9.1 inch ground clearance.
So, when you are doing any sort of off-road, it's making it so that you can go over usual
rocks that are in there, no issues.
We've got all-terrain mode.
There's a whole bunch of elements that we put in that are some nice premium touches,
but also some nice capability.
Speaking of the powertrains, other brands, other cars that have changed from bigger engines
to smaller engines, the immediate reaction from customers is,
oh, I want the bigger one because it's big.
But in reality, again, technology has evolved a lot.
In this case, what I'm referring to is the Dodge with the V8, the Hemi.
But now the six-cylinder engines are much better, more efficient.
It's the same case here, right?
It's the same thing.
So, our 2.5 turbo is as powerful as many or most of the V6 engines in the segment that
are there.
I'm not going to say it's as powerful as a Hemi.
That's a V8.
But again, most people...
No, we're not comparing it.
I'm just comparing the reaction of people, the initial reaction, oh, I want the bigger.
It's not better.
Most people are looking when they get three-row SUVs or three-row minivans or MPV.
They're like, I must have a V6.
That's no longer needed anymore.
The technology is such that it gets you the better fuel economy and it gets you better
performance with it.
Yeah.
So, in this one that we're driving, which is the hybrid...
What's the top level, the name?
The SXP.
SXP.
This is the hybrid?
Yeah.
Yeah.
I mean, it is a luxury vehicle.
I mean, Kia is not officially a luxury brand.
But the way your designers, your engineers, your product planners are putting things together,
I mean, and I've been telling these people, if you see it from the sideways, like we're
seeing one here, and you don't read the emblem on the wheels, you will think it's a British
car from a very, very long history car manufacturer.
And again, I don't know, I always compare it since I'm kind of bad, but I mean, that's
not a bad one.
Yeah.
We've had a lot of people tell us that, geez, it looks like a Range Rover.
It's like, okay, we'll take that.
We'll take that.
You won't have to pay as much for it.
That was going to go there next.
You don't have to pay as much for it, but we are adding more premium elements, right?
I mean, people are demanding a little bit more, willing to pay just a little bit more.
You know, a lot of people have a simple thing is when you're trying to put your seatbelt
buckle in at night, you can't find the buckle, so we've made it so that the seatbelt buckle
lights up.
Yeah, details.
Just a little thing, right?
But it's really important to customers.
Yeah.
And then the third road here, in this case, it's actually usable because the car has
grown too, right?
The car has gotten longer and wider, and the third row is easier to get to.
We've made the accessibility when you come in from the second row, the tilt seat moves
forward that it's simple for even adults to get in.
So speaking about the attractive pricing, I mean, it's really amazing because where
are the ranges, like below 40 and below 60?
So, it starts at just under 40 at 39,000, and fully loaded, top of the line, X-Pro,
you only can get up to about 56, 57.
Yeah.
So, over the years, we've known each other for, I don't know, maybe 10, 15, and maybe
longer, I don't know, if you want to do the math, I thought.
But we have shared many, many stories, including people who, let's say, 10 years ago will
never consider Kia because, like in my neighbor, I think I shared the story with you last night,
oh, in Brazil, that's a cheap car.
Yeah, but this is not Brazil, this is North America, different cars, different markets.
But everything that you have done, actually, now seriously, like your hard work, your very
successful work, has brought the whole brand to a completely different level from what
it was years ago.
And it's not just us telling us, I mean, you've been number one in quality for how many years
now in DD Powers.
Four out of five, and we've got a good history there.
So, again, it's amazing when you have this product, and the job is never easy, all seriousness.
But, I mean, you, Kia's in a very good place, right?
Yeah, you know, I think the best story that I love telling that kind of epitomizes that
is, my company car is a Telluride.
Yeah.
I currently drive a 2025 Telluride, I'm going to get a 2027.
Of course.
We want the customers to get them first, so they're sending them all to the dealership.
But I'm driving a 2025, I go to the gas station, I pull up, I'm pumping some gas, and a Range
Rover pulls in next to me.
And the guy gets out, and he looks, he goes, hey, is that a Telluride?
He has no idea I work for Kia.
He goes, is that a Telluride?
I said, yeah, it is.
He goes, oh, I wanted one of those.
I'm like, oh.
Oh, really?
Couldn't get it?
I said, okay.
He goes, but, you know, I didn't want to wait six months for it, so instead I settled for
the Range Rover.
Oh, my God.
I paid like 50,000 more.
So, you know, people see what the value is for these cars, but they also realize they're
not sacrificing a whole lot relative to luxury brands.
We're not trying to go luxury.
We're just trying to give some people that are ready to step up a little bit more some
of those elements.
What it's happening, you mentioned also that you've seen data, actually, the trade-ins
are Porsches and like Rovers and Lexus and some other brands that are coming for this
because they get more.
So we are 45 days into the X-Pro having been a dealership since the middle of January.
First thing we see is a lot of Telluride customers are like, I'm stepping up for the next one.
I'm never in a lot of trades, which is great.
And the next thing that we, it's not surprising, it's very encouraging.
We see a lot of BMW X5s, Porsches, Land Rovers, Range Rovers, so it's not who we're targeting,
but people are seeing.
It's happening.
It's happening.
That's a natural thing.
Well, again, like that's a result of very hard work, a lot of expertise, a lot of people
working on it.
I mean, thousands of people in Korea, here in the US, everywhere.
So congratulations.
And I really have enjoyed the experience, both of the hybrid and the off-road because you
didn't set up a special off-road to make sure that it worked.
But this is a living, working cattle ranch where we go through bulldozers and everything
on and the Telluride went in with no problem.
You went through streams that were not just like one inch streams, right?
You were plowing through.
You went through hills that had steep grades.
We went from places where at times, and I think I was following you and I saw that one
of your wheels was off the ground and you were still able to do your thing.
So the car is meant to have the capability to do the extreme things that some customers
want.
Most will never need it.
But they have the confidence.
Well, hopefully some, a lot of them will, hopefully will do it.
Yes.
And get into it.
Well, thank you very much, Rahul.
And we're going to drive back to another beautiful place here in California.
Thank you very much.
And I'll see you in the World Cup, I guess.
No, I'll see you in New York first.
You will see you in New York first.
But if there's more stuff there, have a great rest of your trip.
Thank you.
That's it for today's AI Auto Podcast with Javier Moda.
Hope you enjoyed the ride as much as we did.
Tune in next time for more on how AI is steering the wheel of tomorrow's autos.
Drive safe, stay curious, and catch you later.
About this episode
A deep dive into the 2027 Kia Telluride with Kia's VP of Marketing, exploring the SUV's evolution since 2019, including its new hybrid powertrain and off-road X-Pro variant. The conversation highlights Kia's marketing strategies tied to major sports events like the NBA and World Cup, and how these efforts boost brand perception and sales. The Telluride's premium features, competitive pricing, and growing appeal to luxury brand customers are discussed, alongside the brand's transformation and quality accolades. Real-world off-road testing and customer loyalty underline Kia's rising status in the SUV market.
In this episode we sit down with Russell Wager, Vice President of Marketing at Kia America, who explains the strategy behind one of the industry’s most consistent success stories: the Kia Telluride. With the launch of its all-new second generation, the three-row SUV continues to deliver record-breaking sales and strong consumer demand.
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