Kia to Debut Mesa-derived Borrego SUV at Detroit Show

Kia have finally revealed 'Borrego' to be the production moniker for their first entry into the hotly-contested midsize SUV market, following earlier teaser shots of the production vehicle and previews in the form of 2005's Detroit concept car, the KCD II Mesa. The Borrego is to debut as a 2009 model at January's North American International Automobile Show held in Detroit, scheduled for exclusive entry into the North American market in late spring or early summer of next year.

The new model, previously only referred to by its codename moniker 'HM', has been somewhat significantly toned down from the concept it is based on, although transfers some more conventional elements of the Mesa to production.

As evident from the released teaser shot and now even more so, similarly-styled headlamps and highly-flared wheel arches remain, including the two-toned body panels. The front under-belly, rear bumper, side skirting and inner arches now boast a more striking gray plastic over that of the Mesa's beige panels.

A conventional rear screen and pillar arrangement is chosen for the production model, while the concept car's stylish safari-style raked pillar and wrap-around screen setup is ditched.

Built to incorporate the latest in noise and vibrations-reducing engineering, the Borrego will offer consumers another new Kia that delivers on value and safety, combined with the Korean brand's 10-year/100,000-mile warranty to consumers. Kia confirm that the Borrego SUV will be offered with either a V6 engine or the company’s first V8 offering. The new vehicle hits North American markets from next year after its debut at Detroit.