Keen readers will know that the automotive industry is currently facing immense manufacturing hurdles, with parts shortages leading to a sharp increase in vehicle pricing as dealer inventory dwindles. We recently spotted this Kia dealership that was selling a Telluride for $78,995.
A hastily written message describing the dealership's plight – which includes a number of typos – can be seen in the window. Long story short, due to the limited availability and popularity of the Telluride, the dealer won’t let buyers in for a test drive unless they accept a $15,000-$18,000 markup. We’re aware that this SUV is popular in its class, but the high asking price and markup has us scratching our heads.
For those who can't make out the image, the message inside the window reads: "CONGRATULATIONS! You have located the most sought after vehicle in the world. The 2021 Kia Telluride, this is the highest rated Mid SUV on the market. But you already know that. that's why you're here today. Due to the extremely limited availability and the popularity the Telluride sells for a market adjusted price of between $15,000 to $18,000 over the original MSRP.
"We cannot order you one, nor can we dealer trade for one. The colors and options that we currently have in stock are what are available for you to purchase today. If what we have in stock is something that you can see yourself owning at our market adjusted price, then we would be happy to take you on a test drive. If the foretasted conditions are not agreeable, then we appreciate you stopping buy however we are not going to be offering a test drive at this time. We encourage you to keep an eye on [redacted] for updated inventory." [sic]
Gallery: 2021 Kia Telluride Nightfall Edition
The 2021 Kia Telluride SX starts at $44,390 with all-wheel drive. Adding every single option on the configurator, we could only get the price up to around $52,980. At that point, a dealer markup of $20,000 brings the Telluride up to luxury-SUV levels.
At such an exorbitant asking price, there are so many other fantastic SUVs that could be yours for way less. For around $55,000 you could have the latest Genesis GV80, Mercedes-Benz GLE, and Audi Q7, while $80,000 would get someone into a BMW X7 with a few choice options. While this isn't the first time we've heard about crazy markups from Kia dealers, it remains as mind-blowing as ever.
Telluride or Die:
We’d wager that asking so much for the Telluride will simply just push customers towards other brands. Details on the situation remain sparse, but the effects of the automotive parts shortages are clearly widespread. Let us know in the comments below whether you would fork out the cash or look elsewhere.
Source: Reddit