Borrego

This nameplate was Kia’s North American market badge for the brand’s large, body-on-frame SUV, introduced for the 2009 model year and sold only briefly. It arrived in late 2008 as Kia’s first serious entry into the traditional midsize/large SUV space, positioned above the Sorento and aimed at buyers who wanted rear-wheel-drive-based truck utility, available V6 or V8 power, and real towing-oriented capability rather than a car-based crossover feel. Kia’s own launch materials described it as a new flagship SUV for the brand, and company model archives list it only under 2009 model-year coverage in the U.S. market. By the 2010 model year, Kia had already moved away from this nameplate in North America, making it one of the shortest-lived models in the company’s modern U.S. lineup. In other markets, the same vehicle family was known by a different name, but this record refers specifically to the Borrego badge used in North America. As a result, it is remembered as an unusual but important moment in Kia history: a short-run, truck-based SUV that reflected the brand’s ambitions before the market shifted decisively toward unibody crossovers.