We’ve known for a while now that Kia Motors is looking to expand into the Indian market quite rapidly. Way back in February 2018, we reported that the Korean brand has plans to launch five models in India within 18 months of the first model’s introduction. The Kia Seltos will begin the manufacturer’s India innings on August 22, 2019 and the SUV will be followed by the Kia Carnival MPV – a compact SUV based on its sister brand Hyundai's Venue and a cross-hatch likely to be based on the next-gen Kia Rio. We can now confirm that Kia’s MPV will arrive in India in early 2020. So here are the most important things to keep in mind regarding the upcoming Carnival, also known as the Sedona in some markets:
Kia Carnival design
In its current form, the Carnival was revealed last year at the 2018 New York International motor show. The model heading to India, however, is expected to come with a slightly revised design meant to cater to the Indian palette. The India-spec Carnival will be on display at the 2020 Auto Expo, where the styling will finally be revealed.
Kia Carnival interiors
The international-spec Carnival gets a variety of seating configurations – from seven seats, all the way to 11 seats. Kia claims that even the fourth row of seats (for the 9th, 10th and 11th passenger) gets 685mm legroom, 902mm headroom and 1,266mm hip-room. For reference, the third row of the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga offers a maximum of 800mm of legroom (580mm minimum), 800mm of headroom and about 1,260mm hip room. However, the India-spec Kia Carnival is expected to have a much greater focus on second-row comfort, which is why it will come in a seven-seat format. The second row of seats are capable of folding down completely making for easier ingress and egress for third-row passengers. The MPV is large enough that even with all three rows up, there will be nearly a 1,000-litre worth of luggage-carrying capacity – the Ertiga has a 209-litre boot with all three of its rows up.
Kia Carnival features and safety kit
Speaking of focusing on the second row, the India-spec Carnival is expected to get extendable leg rests and chair arms, and a rear entertainment package that has two 10.1-inch screens. Overall, it’ll be quite well-kitted too, with features such as Kia’s UVO Connect in-car connectivity suite, a large touchscreen infotainment system, two sunroofs, a power-adjustable driver’s seat with memory function and three-zone climate control. Safety kit is expected to include four airbags, ABS with EBD and brake-assist, ESC, traction control, hill-start assist and a tyre pressure monitoring system.
Kia Carnival engine
For the Indian market, Kia is expected to bring the 2.2-litre, four-cylinder diesel engine with the Carnival. This motor is expected to be BS6-compliant, develop 202hp at 3,800rpm and 441Nm of torque between 1,750-2,750rpm, and come paired to a 6-speed automatic gearbox. There is a 3.3-litre petrol V6 engine – which makes 270hp and 318Nm of torque – on offer with the MPV in international markets; although that’s unlikely to make it to a Kia showroom near you.
Kia Carnival price and rivals
Considering its size (measuring 5,115mm in length, 1,985mm in width, 1,740mm in height and a 3,060mm wheelbase), the Carnival is quite bit bigger than the Innova MPV. Then again, based on the features on offer it’ll be priced above the Toyota MPV as well. Kia Motors India will do its best to keep prices in check by partly assembling the MPV in India, though the engine will be brought it as a completely built unit. This is expected to result in an ex-showroom price tag of around Rs 30 lakh.
Seeing as the Indian MPV market has quite a large gap between the Toyota Innova Crysta (which retails between Rs 14.93-22.43 lakh) and the luxurious Mercedes-Benz V-class (priced between Rs 68.40-81.90 lakh), Kia’s Carnival would be a very viable upgrade to the former, for private buyers and fleet owners, alike.
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Uday Singh
Suraj Viswanathan
