2020 Kia Telluride revealed

Kia’s long-anticipated Telluride SUV has made a surprise catwalk appearance at the New York Fashion Week.

Appropriately dressed to the nines for its part in the annual event, this is the first official glimpse of the Telluride in near-production form. In fact, it’s the first official pics we’ve seen of the LandCruiser-dwarfing SUV since a prototype was shown at the 2016 Detroit motor show.

In New York, the one-off vehicle played a part in designer Brandon Maxwell’s show.

The eight-seater Telluride is set to go on sale in the US in early 2019, and is unveiled here with an apparent off-road bent, complete with bash plates, a snorkel, unique bumpers, spot lights, side steps and a tailgate-mounted spare that would do very little for outward rear vision.

Inside, the Kia takes a step upmarket with timber cabin inlays and leather across every contact point. A large central display screen sits atop the dashboard, linked with a fully digital driver’s instrument cluster.

The Telluride is longer and wider than Kia’s current seven-seat Sorento, and is set to be powered by a V6 petrol engine.

Kia Australia has expressed interest in a ladder frame chassis SUV with genuine towing credentials, however it is understood the Telluride will be produced in left-hand drive form only.

"We would certainly be interested if the Telluride were available but at the moment it is limited to the North American market," Kia Australia spokesman Kevin Hepworth said.