At the 2020 Auto Expo earlier this year, Kia launched its second product for the Indian market, the Kia Carnival premium MPV, at a starting price of Rs 24.95 lakh (ex-showroom). In our market, the new MPV from South Korean carmaker is positioned between the Toyota Innova Crysta and Mercedes Benz V Class. The Carnival goes under the name Sedora in other markets. In its mother country, Kia is developing a luxury four-seater version of this MPV, which is expected to go on sale in the second-haft of 2020.
Four-seater Kia Carnival will be launched in the second haft of 2020
Even though the information about the upcoming premium four-seater is limited, there is no doubt that Kia will offer some top-notch features on this special variant of Kia Carnival. It is also reported that Kia is working on the next-generation of the MPV but it's not clear whether the four-seater Kia Carnival will be based on the outgoing model or as the last attempt to boost the popularity of the current model.
The premium MPV with lounge-like interior will not come at a cheap price. It is expected to command a significant premium over the Limousine variant of the current-gen Kia Carnival. However, the increased price should be justified by the fully-loaded and exorbitant interior. In fact, with many more features, the four-seater Kia Carnival come across as a real bargain when compared to Toyota Vellfire and Mercedes S-Class.
The India-spec Kia Carnival is powered by 2.2-litre BSVI four-cylinder diesel motor that churns out a maximum power of 197 PS and a peak torque of 440Nm. It comes with an 8-speed torque converter automatic gearbox. Even though it is available with only one powertrain offering, the Kia Carnival is offered in multiple seating configurations, with layouts ranging from seven-seater, eight-seater to nine-seater. In the foreseeable future, a four-seater version will be added to the range, thereby not only increasing the number of seating configuration options but also making the MPV appropriate a chauffeur-driven executive. In our market, Kia Carnival is stacked up against the best-selling MPV Toyota Innova Crysta, though it's definitely a tad pricier.
Kia Carnival is offered as a premium MPV vehicle in our market
Kia’s India range currently includes only two models- Seltos and Carnival. The Kia Seltos has beens a massive success and has emerged as the segment-leading model of its class. Following the Kia Seltos, Kia Carnival has also received a certain recognition in the market with some decent sales figures to boast.