The History of the Kia Telluride: How a Georgia-Built SUV Became Watkinsville’s Favorite Family Hauler

Drive Simonton Bridge Road into downtown Watkinsville on a Saturday morning, or take Hog Mountain Road out toward the Oconee County line, and you won’t get far without passing a Kia Telluride idling at a soccer practice or loaded up for a weekend trip to the lake. It’s become one of the most common sights on Oconee County roads — and once you know the backstory, that’s no accident. The Telluride isn’t just a well-built three-row SUV. It’s a genuine Georgia success story, and its history is worth knowing before your next visit to Bulldog Kia.

From Concept Car to Segment Leader

The Telluride nameplate first appeared as a concept vehicle in 2016, borrowing its name from the mountain town in Colorado. Kia used the concept to test the waters for a larger, more premium SUV — something the brand had never really attempted before. The response was strong enough that Kia greenlit a production version, and the Telluride arrived in dealerships in 2019 as a 2020 model year vehicle.

It’s hard to overstate how big a swing this was for Kia. Up to that point, the brand was known for value-priced sedans and compact crossovers. The Telluride was Kia’s largest vehicle ever, aimed directly at three-row family SUVs like the Honda Pilot and Toyota Highlander — vehicles that had dominated that segment for years.

A Triple Crown Debut

The gamble paid off almost immediately. In its first year on sale, the Telluride became the first SUV in history to sweep automotive journalism’s “Triple Crown” — winning the North American Utility Vehicle of the Year award, MotorTrend’s SUV of the Year, and a spot on Car and Driver’s 10Best list, all in the same year. A few months later, it added World Car of the Year to the trophy case, beating out the Mazda CX-30 and Mazda3 for the honor.

That kind of across-the-board recognition from competing publications almost never happens for a brand-new nameplate, let alone a first attempt from a manufacturer better known for economy cars. It put Kia — and the Telluride specifically — on the map as a legitimate player in the family SUV space, not just a budget alternative to it.

Built Right Here in Georgia

Here’s the part that matters most for Watkinsville and Athens-area drivers: every Telluride ever sold has been built at Kia’s manufacturing plant in West Point, Georgia. This isn’t an SUV shipped over from Korea — it’s assembled by Georgia workers, on Georgia soil, and shipped out to dealerships across the country, including right here at Bulldog Kia.

That plant recently hit a major milestone, producing its five-millionth vehicle since operations began — and fittingly, that vehicle was a Telluride. Kia Georgia’s leadership pointed to the Telluride, along with the EV6 and EV9, as vehicles that have “changed the automotive manufacturing industry” and helped establish Kia as a serious global manufacturer. For Georgia families, there’s something satisfying about knowing the SUV in your driveway rolled off an assembly line a few hours down the road, not off a cargo ship.

Steady Growth Through the 2020s

The first-generation Telluride didn’t sit still after its award-sweeping debut. Kia refreshed the SUV for 2023 with a new grille, front bumper, and headlamps, along with a larger 12.3-inch touchscreen, a digital instrument cluster, and standard Wi-Fi hotspot capability. Through 2024 and 2025, the Telluride kept collecting hardware — six consecutive years as Kelley Blue Book’s Midsize SUV Best Buy, a J.D. Power U.S. ALG Residual Value Award for holding its value better than most competitors, and an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ rating.

Notably, Kia never chased a full redesign just for the sake of change during those years. The formula that made the Telluride a hit — a spacious, upscale-feeling cabin, strong safety scores, and genuine three-row comfort for eight passengers — stayed largely intact while the technology underneath kept improving.

A New Generation Arrives

Kia deliberately skipped the 2026 model year for the Telluride to prepare for a full second-generation redesign, and the all-new 2027 Telluride has now arrived. It’s larger than before, with nearly three more inches of wheelbase, more second-row legroom, and easier third-row access. The naturally aspirated V6 is gone, replaced by a standard turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder producing 274 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque — a meaningful torque increase over the outgoing engine.

For the first time in Telluride history, buyers can also choose a hybrid powertrain. The 2027 Telluride HEV pairs the turbo engine with electric motors for a combined 329 horsepower, an EPA-estimated 35 mpg combined on the EX FWD trim, and a total driving range of 637 miles on a tank. That’s a genuinely useful upgrade for families who spend a lot of time on I-85 or making the Atlanta run.

Pricing for the 2027 Telluride starts at $39,190 MSRP for the LX FWD trim, with the Telluride HEV starting under $47,000 MSRP.*

What Changed Inside the 2027 Redesign

The exterior isn’t the only thing that grew. Kia gave the redesigned Telluride a broader, more upright front end with vertical LED headlamps and a new “Star Map” lighting graphic, along with flush door handles carried over from Kia’s EV lineup. Depending on trim, wheels range from 18 to 21 inches, and the top X-Pro variant gets 9.1 inches of ground clearance, wider all-terrain tires, and a new multi-terrain AWD mode — genuinely useful for anyone who takes weekend trips toward the North Georgia mountains rather than just running errands around town.

Standard equipment across the lineup now includes tri-zone climate control, a 12.3-inch touchscreen with built-in navigation, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and 19 advanced driver assistance systems. That’s a significant jump from the tech package that first launched back in 2019, and it reflects how much ground SUVs in this segment have covered over the better part of a decade.

Why Watkinsville and Oconee County Families Keep Choosing the Telluride

Between the school carpool lines on Mars Hill Road, weekend trips down US-441 toward Athens, and hauling everything from soccer gear to lake furniture, Oconee County families put real demands on a family vehicle. The Telluride’s combination of eight-passenger seating, genuine cargo room, and a 5,000-lb towing capacity on the gas model makes it a natural fit for that lifestyle — and its strong resale value means it holds up well as a long-term investment, not just a short-term purchase.

There’s also a practical local angle worth mentioning: because the Telluride is built about three hours away in West Point rather than shipped overseas, parts availability and service turnaround at Georgia Kia dealerships — including right here at Bulldog Kia — tend to be smoother than they are for imported competitors, especially when supply chains tighten up industry-wide.

Quick Questions Watkinsville Shoppers Ask

Is the Telluride still made in Georgia? Yes — every Telluride, including the redesigned 2027 model and the new Telluride HEV, is assembled at Kia’s West Point, Georgia plant.

Did Kia skip a model year? Yes. There was no 2026 Telluride while Kia prepared the second-generation redesign, so the lineup jumped from the 2025 model directly to the all-new 2027.

Is the hybrid worth the extra cost? For drivers who spend a lot of time on I-85 or making regular trips to Atlanta, the Telluride HEV’s estimated 35 mpg combined and 637-mile range can add up to real fuel savings over a few years of ownership — worth running the numbers on with our finance team.

The Verdict

The Kia Telluride’s rise from a 2016 concept sketch to one of the most-awarded and best-selling three-row SUVs in America didn’t happen by accident — and the fact that it’s been built in Georgia from day one makes it an especially fitting choice for families in Watkinsville and across Oconee County. Six years of Kelley Blue Book Best Buy awards and a completely redesigned 2027 model prove Kia isn’t slowing down.

See the All-New 2027 Kia Telluride at Bulldog Kia in Athens, GA

Ready to see what nearly a decade of refinement looks like in person? Stop by Bulldog Kia in Athens, GA to walk around the redesigned 2027 Telluride, sit in the new three-row cabin, and see the turbo and hybrid powertrains side by side. Our team can walk you through trim levels, current offers, and financing options built around what Watkinsville and Oconee County families actually need. Come see it for yourself.

*Pricing shown is MSRP and excludes destination, tax, title, and dealer fees. See Bulldog Kia for full details and current offers.