Kia Telluride Named 'North American Car of the Year'... Korean Brand Wins for 2nd Consecutive Year

Kia Telluride Selected as 2020 North American Car of the Year Finalist

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] Kia Motors' Telluride has been selected as the 'North American Car of the Year.' With this, the Telluride has achieved a triple crown by sweeping prestigious automotive awards in North America, including MotorTrend's '2020 SUV of the Year' and Car and Driver's '2020 10Best.'

On the 13th (local time), Kia announced at the '2020 North American Car of the Year (NACTOY)' awards ceremony held at the TCF Center in Detroit, USA, that the Telluride was finally selected as the 'North American Car of the Year' in the utility segment (SUV segment). This year, three models, including Kia's Telluride, Hyundai's Palisade, and Lincoln's Aviator, were finalists in the North American Car of the Year SUV category, competing against each other. The organizers evaluated the Telluride as "a model that combines luxury SUV-level design with new features and performance that provide a premium experience."

Launched in the U.S. market in February last year, the Telluride has led Kia's U.S. performance by selling about 60,000 units in its first year. While the total U.S. automobile market recorded about 17.04 million units last year, a 1.3% decrease from the previous year, Kia's sales grew by 4.4%. A Kia official said, "The Telluride is a car that has everything, from excellent spaciousness and product quality to driving performance," adding, "We expect greater success in the global market following the North American Car of the Year award."

This is the first time Kia has won the 'North American Car of the Year.' In 2018, the Stinger was a finalist in the passenger car category but failed to win, losing to the Honda Accord.

With the Telluride winning the '2020 North American Car of the Year,' Korean automobiles have set a record of winning for two consecutive years, following last year's two-time wins with the Genesis G70 in the passenger car category and Hyundai's Kona in the SUV category.

This year is also the year when Korean cars produced the most finalists for the North American Car of the Year. In the SUV category, Kia's Telluride and Hyundai's Palisade were nominated, and in the passenger car category, Hyundai's Sonata was on the finalist list. Korean models accounted for half of the six finalists in the passenger and SUV categories combined. This is the fifth time Korean automobiles have won the North American Car of the Year.

Meanwhile, the North American Car of the Year is recognized as prestigious as the Oscars of the automotive industry. The jury selecting the Car of the Year consists of 50 experts working in automotive-related media such as magazines, TV, radio, and newspapers in the United States and Canada.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.