India-Spec Kia Carnival MPV (Innova Rival) Spotted Testing; Launch In Feb

kia carnival spotted

Kia Carnival will go on sale at the 2020 Auto Expo and is expected to be priced at around Rs. 25-30 lakh (ex-showroom)

Kia Motors India has tasted tremendous success with the Seltos SUV and is preparing to introduce its second product for domestic customers at the 2020 Auto Expo in February. The Carnival will act as a proper premium rival for the Toyota Innova Crysta and it will likely be positioned directly against the highly capable segment-leading MPV.

The Carnival has already been spied testing several times on Indian soil and the latest set of images reiterates its upcoming market debut. It made its public premiere at the 2018 Auto Expo when Kia showcased its entire lineup. The Carnival is retailed in several international markets under the Sedona nameplate as well.

One of the highly established models globally from Kia is sold in multiple seating configurations. We can expect the South Korean auto major to go down the same route to avail different options for the buyers as six-, seven- and eight-seat versions should be on the cards.

kia carnival spied

Besides rivalling the Innova Crysta, the Kia Carnival will likely have an expansive range offering more premium features such as 10.1-inch screens for the rear passengers, extended legroom, a touchscreen infotainment system with Kia’s UVO connectivity, multi-zone automatic climate control system, dual sunroof, power sliding rear doors and so on.

As for the powertrain, it will likely use a 2.2-litre turbocharged diesel engine developing 202 horsepower and 441 Nm. It will be mated to a six-speed automatic transmission driving the front wheels. The Carnival will be locally assembled at Kia’s manufacturing plant in Andhra Pradesh.

kia carnival-1-2

Kia will concentrate on providing high-level comfort and convenience features to the customers as they would often by chauffeured around. Thus, the seats will be electrically operable into different angles with memory function. A whole host of safety and driver-assistive features will also be on offer.

The Carnival won’t be targeting volumes as to the Seltos and it will help in enhancing the upscale brand image. It measures 5,115 mm long, 1,985 mm wide and stands 1,740 mm tall with a wheelbase of 3,060 mm. The dimensions are believed to be retained from the global model and it leads to it being a massive 380 mm longer and 155 mm wider than the Innova Crysta.