Remember the Kia Borrego? It Might Finally Be Dead

The demise of Kia's body-on-frame SUV seems imminent.

By: Adrian Padeanu

May 22, 2024 at 4:42am ET

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The Borrego lived a short and unfortunate life in the US where it was only offered for the 2009 model year. Kia pulled the plug on its biggest SUV due to poor sales. However, the body-on-frame vehicle continued in other markets. It's still on sale in South Korea where it goes by the Mohave moniker. That said, it looks as though time is running out for the beefy SUV.

According to ET Magazine, production will end in July at the Hwasung Plant due to dwindling sales. Deliveries dropped to just 257 units in April. Stricter emissions regulations are also accelerating the model's demise. The freed production capacity will be used to pump out more Sorentos and to build the upcoming Tasman pickup truck. Kia will reportedly pause operations at the factory from late July until mid-August to prepare the production lines for the planned changes.

The Borrego/Mohave is one of the oldest Kia products on sale today. It came out in 2008 and received a facelift in 2016. While a second-generation model followed in 2019, it was essentially a heavy redesign rather than a true next-gen vehicle. Fun fact–the original model was penned by Peter Schreyer, the man behind the iconic styling of the Audi TT. He also worked on the Volkswagen New Beetle and the Golf Mk4 before drawing dozens of cars for Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.

The three-row SUV is offered exclusively with four-wheel drive, an eight-speed automatic transmission, and a turbodiesel 3.0-liter V6. The oil-burner is good for 256 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque. Kia's toughest vehicle–until the Tasman arrives–starts at the equivalent of $37,000. The flagship trim level costs $45,600 before options.

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When the second generation was launched, Kia didn't test the waters again in the US where the Borrego would've probably had higher chances of succeeding. Its predecessor came at a bad time, what with the Great Recession of the late 2000s when gas prices were sky-high. Demand for rugged SUVs has shot up since then, so perhaps a body-on-frame SUV would've made sense.

Well, maybe with a different name since "Borrego" was forever tarnished after the first model was a commercial flop in North America. Kia still doesn't cater to the outdoorsy crowd, but it has taken shy steps to lure in buyers with the X-Line trim level for the Sportage, Sorento, and Telluride.