Kia has been spied testing the mid-cycle update for the Carens MPV in South Korea. The three-row people mover has been on sale in India since February 2022, and its facelift is due sometime next year. The Carens facelift seen testing here is likely to be powered by a combustion engine, though an all-electric version is also in the works, and has been spied on test earlier.
- Carens facelift likely to get Seltos-like headlight and tail-light
- Facelift to get petrol, diesel and electric powertrains at launch
Kia Carens facelift to get fresh design
Although the spy shots don’t reveal all that much – the MPV is camouflaged – they show that the Kia Carens facelift will have new front- and rear-ends. What is definitely noticeable are the new tail-lights, which are C-shaped LEDs like the updated Seltos and the Sonet facelift. The headlight design isn’t apparent, but we expect it’ll be similar to what the Seltos facelift gets. New front and rear bumpers, new alloy wheels, and other plastic part changes are expected on the Carens facelift.
Kia Carens facelift interior, powertrain
While none of the spy shots have given us any insights into the Carens facelift’s interior, we expect the layout to be more or less the same as the outgoing model – six- and seven-seater configurations will continue to be on offer. It is likely to get updates to its features list, and new fabrics and materials for the dash and upholstery.
Under the bonnet, we expect the Carens facelift to retain the current model’s 115hp, 1.5-litre petrol; 160hp, 1.5-litre turbo-petrol; and 116hp, 1.5-litre diesel engine options. The petrol has a manual gearbox as standard, though the turbo-petrol unit gets a 6-speed iMT and 7-speed dual-clutch options. Kia offers three 6-speed transmissions on the Carens diesel – a manual, an iMT and a torque convertor.
All-electric Kia Carens also coming
As mentioned above, this Carens spied is likely to be one of the petrol or diesel-powered versions. However, as we had reported earlier, the Carens-based EV (codenamed KY-EV) is also on its way to India and is expected to launch in the second half of 2025. From the previous spy shots of the Carens-based EV on test, we could see that it’ll have a design that’s similar to the ICE version for the most part. Naturally, it’ll have some design cues to mark it apart – expect to see a closed-off ‘grille’ area, aero-optimised wheels, and a few other highlights and badges.
The all-electric version’s cabin is expected with minor differences, especially in terms of instrumentation displays, though it remains to be seen how installing the battery on this ICE-converted EV will affect interior room.
While not much is known yet about the EV’s powertrain, we expect it to come with a similar battery size and motor as the Creta EV; the midsize e-SUV is expected with a 45kWh battery pack that powers a front axle-mounted motor that makes 138hp and 255Nm. Kia and Hyundai have recently signed an MoU with Exide to localise batteries for both brand’s upcoming EVs, and these battery packs are likely to be used on the electric Carens.
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Uday Singh
Suraj Viswanathan
