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Kia’s Telluride SUV concept cures jet lag | #NAIAS2016
Kia Motors America on Monday unveiled a full-size, seven-passenger SUV concept at the 2016 North America International Auto Show, showing off a unique in-car passenger experience.
The Kia Telluride, based on a modified Sorento platform, boasts in-cabin health-and-wellness technology aimed at reenergizing the driver and passengers.
The front two rows of seats, made up of four captain’s chairs, are embedded with Smart Sensors capable of capturing a passenger’s vital health information. Vitals are displayed on interior doorpanel-mounted screens that synchronize with a Light Emitted Rejuvenation (LER) system.
The LER system uses a roof-mounted LED panel to display a pattern of therapeutic light to treat jet lag and boost a passenger’s energy levels.
Kia is not the only automaker concerned over its occupants’ health. At CES in Las Vegas last week, Audi AG said that it wants to manage and improve drivers’ health by monitoring things like heart rate, blood pressure and more via connected fitness trackers and smartwatches with its new Audi Fit Driver system.
The Telluride’s infotainment system is also bristling with new tech, including Swipe Command that lets passengers in the back select music with the swipe of a hand via a touch-sensitive band mounted to the second-row center console. Music can be played via a seven-speaker Harmon Kardon audio system or a pair of Harmon Kardon headphones that wirelessly charge when stowed in the center console. The center stack up front also includes wireless charging for mobile phones.
Kia has also made use of 3D-printed components included in the dashboard, door panels, and steering wheel.
The Telluride carries Kia’s distinctive design language, including its tiger nose grille. Power comes from a plug-in hybrid drivetrain that couples a direct-injected 3.5-liter V6 engine with an electric motor to deliver 400 horsepower, in a roughly 70/30 split between the gas engine and the electric motor.
Although Kia has no plans to put the Telluride into production, the company may reconsider – based on interest – and offer the Telluride above its mid-size Sorento.
Images via Kia Motors America
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