We were expecting the Kia Carnival to be launched at the Auto Expo but its coming sooner in Janury 2020 and it will be Kia’s halo product in India.
We were expecting that Kia would launch their second product for India – the Carnival – at the 2020 Auto Expo. Now, according to a report by Zigwheels, Kia Motors will launch the carnival in India in January 2020, ahead of the Auto Expo. Select dealers have already started accepting bookings for the Carnival and it is expected to be priced in the range of Rs 27 lakh to Rs 36 lakh (on-road).
The Kia Carnival is a premium MPV and though it directly competes with the Toyota Innova Crysta in the Indian market, it will be more premium than the Innova Crsyta. Initially it would be brought to the country via the CKD route and then assembled here. However, if Kia finds sufficient demand for the car, they will localise the car and will also be able to utilize their plant to its full potential.
The Carnival is surely a handsome looking MPV, The face gets the Kia signature ‘Tiger Nose’ grille flanked by LED headlamps on either side. The bumpers have aggressively designed air dams that also house Kia’s Ice Cube LED fog lamps. On the sides, there’s a sharp character line that follows through the profile of the car and it also gets smartly styled dual-tone alloy wheels. At the rear, the Carnival comes with split LED tail lamps while a thin chrome strip is present above the number plate housing for added bling.
Just like the Seltos, the cabin of the carnival is very premium. The dashboard is very neatly laid out with the infotainment screen taking center stage on the dashboard. Below, there are two stacks of buttons for the climate control and other vehicle functions, all of which are very neatly laid out. However, the main party piece are the electric sliding doors which are also very useful for ingress and egress in tight spaces.
Also Read : Change Kia Seltos Booking To Carnival MPV – Dealer Gives Option To Seltos Customers
Again like the Seltos, the Carnival will be loaded with best-in-class features. That would include UVO connected car technology, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, three-zone climate control, cruise control, auto headlamps, rain sensing wipers, powered front seats with ventilated and heated function, powered tailgate as well as keyless entry with push-button start. It could come with safety features like eight airbags, ABS with EBD, a 360-degree camera, electronic stability control, front and rear parking sensors as well as hill start assist.
Also Read : Upcoming Mahindra XUV400 to be Based on a Mid-Size SUV Platform by Ford.
The Kia Carnival will be powered by a BS-6 complaint 2.2-litre CRDi diesel engine that churns out 202bhp and 441Nm in India. The engine will be mated to a six-speed manual or an 8-speed automatic transmission. Internationally, it is also available with a 3.3-litre V6 petrol engine, but that will most likely not make it to our shores. With the India launch of this premium SUV, the Toyota Innova will finally see some worthy competition and we might as well have a new benchmark.
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