Mohave Masterpiece Concept is one of the two Kia SUVs debuted at the Seoul Motor Show; based on the same platform as Kia Telluride
Kia has taken the 2019 Seoul Motor Show at its home country of South Korea for granted and introduced two new concepts. One is the SP2 Signature Concept that gives a near-production preview of the upcoming compact SUV waiting to enter developed and emerging markets like India.
Known as the SP2i, the SUV produced at Anantapur facility will compete against Hyundai Creta and Tata Harrier in the Rs. 10-16 lakh (ex-showroom) space. It is expected to make a strong statement for Kia initially and the brand has planned more launches in the coming years – one new product every six months until 2022 with emphasis on high localisation.
The company is reportedly planning to have around 100 dealerships established upon arrival in the second half of this year. At the Seoul motoring exhibition, the second concept unveiled was the Mohave Masterpiece – a large SUV having a rugged overall stance and it appears to be a more capable off-roader than the SP2.
Making its global premiere, the Mohave Masterpiece is reportedly based on the same platform as the Telluride, the eight-seat SUV with the biggest footprint ever within Kia’s global portfolio. The Telluride is currently on sale only in left-hand-drive markets and it could be offered in RHD markets in the near future capitalising on a wider spectrum of customers.
While the SP2 Signature Concept will influence the design of the future Kia models, the Mohave Masterpiece is no different, as it won’t just stay as a show-off prototype machine. It will more likely spawn a production full-sized off-road SUV that could rival vehicles like Honda Pilot, Ford Explorer, Hyundai Palisade, Toyota Highlander and so on.
The Masterpiece and Signature concepts offer an in-depth look into how Kia could develop its vehicle range in future in the realms of styling, technology and cabin sophistication. India plays a major role in Kia’s global expansion and we expect to see not just volume-based products but vehicles of high-tech content as well.