Kia India will start officially accepting bookings for the new Carnival MPV from September 16 for a token amount of Rs 2 lakh. The fourth-generation Carnival is slated to go on sale on October 3. Dealer level unofficial bookings have already been underway for a few weeks now.
- Carnival will have more premium positioning than outgoing model
- Will continue to be powered by a 2.2-litre diesel engine
Kia Carnival for India: what's known?
Kia India has confirmed a few features for the India-spec Carnival – it will come equipped with dual-pane sunroof, second-row electricaly adjustable captain seats with ventilation function and extendable leg support, power-sliding rear doors, a 12-speaker Bose sound system, dual curved displays with each measuring 12.3 inches as well as an ADAS suite.
Additional features will include a head-up display, a digital rear-view mirror, an updated digital key with fingerprint recognition, and ambient lighting along the dashboard.
As already reported by us, the new Carnival will be available only in a single, fully-loaded variant that will be brought in as an import initially. It will be expensive at launch, but Kia India will locally assemble it at a later date, following which prices will come down. Some equipment, however, could be trimmed at that stage.
In India, the new Carnival is expected to come with a 2.2-litre diesel engine, the same unit that saw duty in the previous-gen MPV. Internationally, the MPV also gets a 1.6-litre turbo petrol hybrid and a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine.
Kia Carnival for India: expected price and rivals
Prices for the fully imported Carnival in India are expected to start at around Rs 50 lakh. At this price point, it will have no direct rivals, as the Innova Hycross tops out at around Rs 30 lakh, while the Toyota Vellfire starts at Rs 1.22 crore (ex-showroom). Along with the Carnival, Kia will also announce pricing for the EV9 full-size electric SUV.
Rivan RS 
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Uday Singh
Suraj Viswanathan
