While the Kia Carnival made it to the Indian market only recently, the company is already in advanced stages of testing the next-gen model of its premium MPV
Recently, the next generation of the Kia Carnival was spotted testing on the roads of South Korea for the first time ever. It must be mentioned here that while it’s only recently that the premium MPV was launched in India, the current generation of the Carnival has been in production of over 5 years now.
So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the company will soon launch the next generation model in its home market. The next-gen Kia Carnival will launch in South Korea in July 2020 and could make it to India as soon as next year. A set of spy images that surfaced internet recently have given us a good look at the interior of the new model.
As can be seen in these spy shots, the next generation of the MPV gets a new steering wheel that is similar to the one on the Sorento, while even the touchscreen infotainment unit and the instrument cluster are close to what’s being offered on the SUV sibling. However, the screen of the Carnival does not get any buttons or dials as seen on the Sorento.
Positioned below the touchscreen are central aircon vents while the buttons and touch controls can be found below the air vents. The centre console features piano-black plastics to further amplify the upmarket look.
The next generation Kia Carnival will be underpinned by the same platform that does duty on the models like the Hyundai Sonata and the Kia K5 Optima. The exterior of the vehicle will look fresher than that of the current model, which means it will most likely feature crispier creases and tauter surfaces. The overall aesthetics will be in line with the company’s latest design theme.
It is being said that the next generation Kia Carnival will launch in India in the second half of next year. The delay in the local launch of the vehicle is due to the fact that the current generation of the MPV is barely a few months old in the market. Already, the current model has been quick to garner a positive response in India, which means the company would want to make the most of the current model’s popularity before replacing it with an all-new model.
