Kia Telluride US production stats. by trim and colors

[Jmccurry13]

She's with a good dealer, problem is that dealer (like many others) only gets a few SX-P allocations per month - so wait time is extensive. If she wanted an S, I'm sure she'd have it by now. But that SX Prestige wait can be painful.

Very painful. I’ve been waiting for my wife’s SX-P since 9/10.

 

[jw_tx21]

Very painful. I’ve been waiting for my wife’s SX-P since 9/10.

Yeah, that's too long. Hopefully they have an answer as to when they will get it. But, if they are a small dealership, it may never show up if they aren't given the allocation. You should have had it by now.

 

[Stoney]

She's with a good dealer, problem is that dealer (like many others) only gets a few SX-P allocations per month - so wait time is extensive. If she wanted an S, I'm sure she'd have it by now. But that SX Prestige wait can be painful.

I waited a long time for my SXP with towing...from Nov. 15. My first arrival date - end of Jan/beg. of Feb. was extended when a boatload of Tellurides tipped over just off the coast dumping all the Tellies in the ocean and the factory had to re-make the drowned Tellies. Then it was extended again as the plant couldn't get parts from Korea, then was hit with COVID-19 and more shut downs to clean the factory. The beginning of April was scheduled for a shut down for the model year changeover of the other two models they make. Then COVID kept it shut down longer and the factory started making face shields for local hospitals. So I knew how lucky I was to get mine on April 1 - although by then I was hoping the new models would be out and I might get a 2021.
Definitely a long roller coaster ride waiting for the Telluride SXP with towing! I went looking at travel trailers last week and the "towing" they show in their ads isn't feasible with the towing Kia provides. The owners manual says to call Kia to have the 7 pin with brake assist installed. Surprise! Kia doesn't make an adapter and won't in 3rd party parts. So my box of parts from etrailer arrived yesterday. I am going to use the electronic brake assist, controlled via smart phone, instead of trying to intrude on the Telly's intricate electric/electronic system and chance damaging anything. So all it will take is one wire strung through the undercarriage to the battery (and a small regulator), and another wire to metal. (etrailer has videos of actual Telluride installations). But because my Telly arrived so late, I don't have enough mileage on the Telly to tow to go to my grand-daughter's graduation. Since November I have been doing a lot of adjusting to accommodate the Telluride...I hope I don't have as much trouble with it as I had trying to get it!

 

[KiksVp]

There is hope. I’ve been waiting since 11/15 as well. Nothing yet..

I have been waiting since last November and I have never been given notification that my order has been accepted by KIA.

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[Stoney]

I have been waiting since last November and I have never been given notification that my order has been accepted by KIA.

Have you called and asked your dealer? I would.

 

[KiksVp]

Very painful. I’ve been waiting for my wife’s SX-P since 9/10.

Uggh! I get it! My dealer tried several strategies to get one on his purchase list starting in September and finally decided to put it in as a special order.. I’m still waiting. Thinking of buying something else... poor communication with the dealer... I have never received a call or any info on my order from the sales manager...zero communication.

 

[Kao]

Uggh! I get it! My dealer tried several strategies to get one on his purchase list starting in September and finally decided to put it in as a special order.. I’m still waiting. Thinking of buying something else... poor communication with the dealer... I have never received a call or any info on my order from the sales manager...zero communication.

Why didn't your dealer put it on as a special order from the very beginning in September? It WAS a special order.

 

[Schlegel]

Why didn't your dealer put it on as a special order from the very beginning in September? It WAS a special order.

Don't think there is such a thing as a "SPECIAL" order. You've been misled. Legitimate orders don't work that way!!!!!!!!! Ask the guys at Kia of Muncie, Jason Fox and/or Lucas Boehm lboehm@drivekiamuncie.com They place LEGITIMATE ORDERS and provide confirmation info. They also ship. Do it right.

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[Kao]

Don't think there is such a thing as a "SPECIAL" order. You've been misled. Legitimate orders don't work that way!!!!!!!!! Ask the guys at Kia of Muncie, Jason Fox and/or Lucas Boehm lboehm@drivekiamuncie.com They place LEGITIMATE ORDERS and provide confirmation info. They also ship. Do it right.

I have an order with them right now. I consider my order a "special order." Maybe that's not the right definition; but I'm not taking one off the lot. I "special ordered" the vehicle I want through Jason and Lucus.

 

[KiksVp]

Why didn't your dealer put it on as a special order from the very beginning in September? It WAS a special order.

From the information I was given at the time, the sales manager thought it would be quicker to put it on the monthly dealer order but the first month he “forgot” to add it. The following months it wasn’t an option Because it is a small dealership and they were not assigned an SXP by Kia. So by December he decided it was better to submit my order request which needed to be “accepted” by Kia. I had to go to the dealership to get my request confirmation but that is where the communication ends. No one from the dealership ever contacts me with any updates. I initiate all communication and always get the response that there is no update from Kia. Frustrating!

 

[KiksVp]

I have an order with them right now. I consider my order a "special order." Maybe that's not the right definition; but I'm not taking one off the lot. I "special ordered" the vehicle I want through Jason and Lucus.

You did a custom build order.

 

[Kao]

To-may-tos, To-mah-tos.

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[KiksVp]

To-may-tos, To-mah-tos.

Haha... true! I agree.

 

[CGeorge]

I have been waiting since last November and I have never been given notification that my order has been accepted by KIA.

Yeah, if I don’t text my dealer I don’t hear anything. My husband has had enough and told me to get my money back and get another car. He’s worked in the auto industry 35 years and says he never seen or heard anything like this. I think because I want it so bad is why it’s not happening, SMH. First time I’ve ever ordered a car in my life and I have to say it’s not the best experience. I won’t ever do it again, I’ll just buy from the lot.

 

[CGeorge]

Very painful. I’ve been waiting for my wife’s SX-P since 9/10.

WOW!!

 

[Nas4atu10]

Yeah, if I don’t text my dealer I don’t hear anything. My husband has had enough and told me to get my money back and get another car. He’s worked in the auto industry 35 years and says he never seen or heard anything like this. I think because I want it so bad is why it’s not happening, SMH. First time I’ve ever ordered a car in my life and I have to say it’s not the best experience. I won’t ever do it again, I’ll just buy from the lot.

This is my first time ordering a vehicle as well, and it’s put a bad enough taste in my mouth, that I’ll never do it again either. I’m still super excited to get my Telly whenever it arrives, but in the future, I’ll only be purchasing a vehicle that’s physically sitting on a lot.

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[Stoney]

This is my first time ordering a vehicle as well, and it’s put a bad enough aste in my mouth, that I’ll never do it again either. I’m still super excited to get my Telly whenever it arrives, but in the future, I’ll only be purchasing a vehicle that’s physically sitting on a lot.

I ordered on Nov. 15 and mine came in in April just before the shut down. Between the unexpected popularity of the Telly's, the failure of Kia to recognize it needed to ramp up production, the loss of an entire boatload of Kias dumped into the ocean when a ship full of them capsized, the difficulty getting parts from Korea because of COVID-19, the factory workers testing positive, and then the normal shut down and re-tooling for the new models and a cautious return to production after a statewide shutdown, it was like a comedy of errors. I had ordered cars before - even custom vehicles (a Ford Bronco with Calypso Coral that was "not available" on Broncos) and not had a problem, but I remember my ex father in law years ago waiting forever for a truck he ordered that had as many delays. I would have abandoned the order, except that I knew I would always regret doing it, and would never be as happy with whatever I got instead, so I figured a few months waiting would not be as bad as years of dissatisfaction and wishing I had waited.

So far I love it. I am going through the book learning all the electronics and warning signals. (Do NOT leave wipers on auto - if you go to the car wash they will start up and could cause them to be damaged - now I know why they inexplicably started up when the water hit the windshield). My one dissatisfaction is the towing setup and having to get an adapter, and I wish it came with the extra cooling capacity like the Palisade. I had actually hoped, since I waited so long, that I would get a 2021 model with better towing setup.

The other problem one needs to be aware of is the driving assist. If you set your speed on local curvy roads, the traffic is running slow, and the car in front of you goes around a bend, the Telly thinks it no longer has a vehicle to distance itself from and will quickly accelerate back to the set speed, requiring the driver to hit the brakes as the vehicle in front is still there, but out of sight of the Telly's cameras. Scared the heck out of me because I thought the driver assist was going awry, but the second time it happened I realized why.

 

[KiksVp]

I ordered on Nov. 15 and mine came in in April just before the shut down. Between the unexpected popularity of the Telly's, the failure of Kia to recognize it needed to ramp up production, the loss of an entire boatload of Kias dumped into the ocean when a ship full of them capsized, the difficulty getting parts from Korea because of COVID-19, the factory workers testing positive, and then the normal shut down and re-tooling for the new models and a cautious return to production after a statewide shutdown, it was like a comedy of errors. I had ordered cars before - even custom vehicles (a Ford Bronco with Calypso Coral that was "not available" on Broncos) and not had a problem, but I remember my ex father in law years ago waiting forever for a truck he ordered that had as many delays. I would have abandoned the order, except that I knew I would always regret doing it, and would never be as happy with whatever I got instead, so I figured a few months waiting would not be as bad as years of dissatisfaction and wishing I had waited.

So far I love it. I am going through the book learning all the electronics and warning signals. (Do NOT leave wipers on auto - if you go to the car wash they will start up and could cause them to be damaged - now I know why they inexplicably started up when the water hit the windshield). My one dissatisfaction is the towing setup and having to get an adapter, and I wish it came with the extra cooling capacity like the Palisade. I had actually hoped, since I waited so long, that I would get a 2021 model with better towing setup.

The other problem one needs to be aware of is the driving assist. If you set your speed on local curvy roads, the traffic is running slow, and the car in front of you goes around a bend, the Telly thinks it no longer has a vehicle to distance itself from and will quickly accelerate back to the set speed, requiring the driver to hit the brakes as the vehicle in front is still there, but out of sight of the Telly's cameras. Scared the heck out of me because I thought the driver assist was going awry, but the second time it happened I realized why.

Great info to know. Thanks for sharing. I agree with you about the wait for the vehicle I really wanted but boy has it been an odd experience.
Enjoy your Telly and please keep posting what you are learning.

 

[Nightcrawler1215]

Yeah, if I don’t text my dealer I don’t hear anything. My husband has had enough and told me to get my money back and get another car. He’s worked in the auto industry 35 years and says he never seen or heard anything like this. I think because I want it so bad is why it’s not happening, SMH. First time I’ve ever ordered a car in my life and I have to say it’s not the best experience. I won’t ever do it again, I’ll just buy from the lot.

I agree 100% about the lack of communication from dealers and from Kia in general. I’ve been patient because of the pandemic, but the virus is no excuse for not keeping your clientele as informed as possible. Even if you know nothing, at least let us know every now and again that you’re checking in on the situation at the factory or whatever, humor me! I probably wouldn’t order again and I didn’t even get mine yet but I’m pretty sure, it usually doesn’t go like this. Even without covid, I think Kia just ridiculously under estimated demand and this is so new to them that we’re dealing with the growing pains.

 

[MarcinTexas]

Even without covid, I think Kia just ridiculously under estimated demand and this is so new to them that we’re dealing with the growing pains.

If you look at the sales mix - a larger percentage of Tellurides have been SX models - and many of those with the Prestige package. If anyone had said two years ago that KIA would have trouble filling orders for a $50K vehicle...they would have been laughed out of the room. Did KIA under-estimate demand? Of course they did. Would anyone else also have made the same miscalculation based on KIA's prior success at this price point? Yes they would have.

Give it time - they have made changes to increase capacity to 100K units per year. Plus - either you are willing to wait to drive the winning-est SUV to hit the market since the original Grand Cherokee back in the early 90's or you are willing to settle for second best. COVID-19 surely didn't help - but that part isn't KIA's fault.

I for one am standing by my order and can't wait to have one in the garage.