The Kia K900 luxury sedan currently sits as the company’s flagship model. Just don’t expect it to be the only one sitting at that table soon. The Korean automaker’s product planner, Orth Hedrick, hinted that the K900 could be joined by a crossover that will be based on the sedan. Hedrick stopped short of revealing too many details, but his comments brought memories of the Telluride Concept back to the surface. Could it be that Kia’s head product planner is hinting at a production future for the concept SUV that debuted at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show? Stay tuned.

If we’re going to believe Kia, the idea of a K900-based crossover is closer to reality than it looks. Orth Hedrick said so himself, telling Motor Authority that a K900-based crossover is a “natural thing.”

“The components are there,” Hedrick added. “We don’t have anything in the plans yet, but we certainly could. All the rolling stock is there.”

There’s the caveat. “We don’t have anything in the plans yet” is a good way to douse the excitement without actually doing so. The truth is that Kia has the resources, the equipment, and the ability to develop a full-sized luxury SUV that will sit alongside the K900 as the company’s two flagship models. It’s just a matter of making sure all the pieces fit. That includes ensuring that the platform it could use can accommodate a vehicle of that size. By all accounts, it looks like Kia has those bases covered already, which means that if it wants to do it, it’s going to get done.

Lest we forget, this isn’t the first time the Telluride Concept has found itself in the headlines this year. Back in January, no less than Kia president and chief designer Peter Schreyer confirmed production plans of the SUV concept. He didn’t give a specific timetable, but the model is expected to arrive “in the next few years” and will target the U.S. as its “primary market.”

If Hedrick and Schreyer are talking about the same model, then there’s a good chance that we will see a production version of the Telluride Concept sooner than later. If it does happen, it’s going to be a heavily hyped model, especially if it’s developed to closely resemble the concept version that we saw in Detroit two years ago.

That model was massive, standing 4.4 inches taller than the Sorento. It was also 9.5 inches longer and 4.7 inches wider than Kia’s current mid-size SUV. It also came with a hybrid powertrain that included a 3.5-liter naturally aspirated V-6 engine that produced a total of around 400 horsepower. The Telluride Concept wasn’t introduced for giggles, folks.

Now, if Kia decides to build one, there’s a good chance that, if done properly, the Korean automaker could have another game-changing model in its hands.

References

Read our full review on the 2019 Kia K900.

Read our full review on the 2016 Kia Telluride Concept.

Read more Kia news.