Kia Motors has revealed that the corporation’s all-new, mid-size, SUV will bear the name ‘Kia Borrego’ when it makes its world premiere at the Detroit Motor Show in early January 2008.

Code-named HM during development, the new Kia Borrego is the first mid-size SUV from Kia and features a body-on-frame construction incorporating the latest NVH engineering philosophy for enhanced refinement.

With room for up-to-seven occupants, the newest addition to the Kia model line-up gives the brand a truly comprehensive global product range that delivers value, safety and ownership peace of mind to consumers.

The Kia Borrego, which is named after the bighorn sheep native to California’s largest desert state park, will be manufactured in Korea. It will go on sale in its home market early in 2008, with sales in the USA and other export markets commencing in the late spring or early summer. The Borrego will be available with a choice of V6 or the company’s first V8 gasoline engines (depending on market) and will boast Kia’s largest-ever towing capacity.

The latest example of Kia’s commitment to designing products to suit specific markets, the Borrego is primarily intended to meet the needs of consumers in the USA and there are no plans to market this model in Europe.

The Kia Borrego styling is derived from the Mesa concept vehicle first shown by Kia at the Detroit Motor Show in 2005 and is larger than Kia’s popular Sorento model. The Borrego’s third-row seating is designed to comfortably accommodate two adults.

Source: Kia Europe Press Release