The Kia midsize MPV will be based on the Seltos platform but it will be completely different car with seven seats that will be slightly bigger than Seltos and will sit below the Carnival.
Kia Motors have had a very successful stint in India with the Seltos. Recently, they also launched the Carnival premium MPV and that too has received a very positive response from the market. Going ahead, Kia has plans of introducing more mass market products in the future. The first of them is the Kia Sonet sub-compact SUV which is meant to rival the Hyundai Venue and it will see its market launch sometime around the festive season this year. After the Sonet, Kia is also planning on a midsize MPV for the Indian market.
The MPV segment in India has lately seen a lot of action as well. In 2019, Maruti Suzuki came out with the second-generation Ertiga and that had really boosted the MPV segment. Motivated by the success of the Ertiga, Maruti Suzuki came up with the XL6 as well. In fact, the Ertiga gave the Innova Crysta a run for its money at the high end of the MPV spectrum. Even Renault came out with the Triber which has been an absolute hit at the lower end of the MPV spectrum. Looking at these market conditions, Kia saw a huge potential in the midsize MPV segment (to rival the Maruti Ertiga) for a customer base who would want to upgrade from the Triber in about two year’s time.
“As you can see, we have launched the Carnival, and with this, we will develop the luxury MPV segment in the Indian market. I have already got some good response from Indian consumers. We are now thinking about another MPV. As you know, Kia is a very strong SUV and MPV player. So the next one I’m considering is another MPV model for Indian customers,” said Han-Woo Park, president, and CEO of Kia Motors.
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This midsize MPV from Kia is likely to be based on the same platform as the Seltos and while the underpinnings will be same, it will be a completely different product. “It won’t compete with the Seltos and will be slightly bigger than the Seltos, and below the Carnival. It will have an affordable price and adequate space for seven seats,” he elaborates.
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Kia also intends to fill the space that has been created by the discontinuation of the Ertiga diesel, particularly in the commercial segment. However, this midsize Kia MPV is still sometime away and it is still just on the drawing board. It is yet to be green lighted and the earliest by which we can expect it to hit the market is by late-2021. It’s likely that the all-new MPV will be exported to other countries as well.
