Kia Carens is sold in six- and seven-seater layouts and has garnered 60 per cent of its total reservations from the Tier 1 and Tier 2 markets
Kia India introduced the Carens by the middle of last month and it has been well received in India. By the time of its price announcement, Kia revealed that more than 19,000 pre-bookings were made already and now an official statement confirms the three-row UV reaching 50,000 booking milestone in just under a month of its market launch.
The Carens did send shockwaves across the industry for its highly competitive price range and to its credit, it is offered in an extensive variant lineup with three engine and as many transmission choices to choose from. The South Korean auto major has garnered 60 per cent of its total reservations from the Tier 1 and Tier 2 markets.
Sold in six- and seven-seater configurations, the Kia Carens targets family audiences at large and is available in two petrol and one diesel engine option. The contribution of the diesel engine to the overall booking tally is certainly surprising as almost 50 per cent of the customers have opted for it due to its fuel economical nature.
About 45 per cent of the bookings have gone in favour of the top-spec trims while the automatic variants contributed to 30 per cent of the total. To meet the demand and reduce the waiting period of its other cars, Kia commenced the third shift at its manufacturing facility in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh as it is currently running at full capacity.
The waiting period for the Kia Carens goes up to 48 weeks for the Prestige trim. Kia despatched 5,300 units of the Carens last month and is priced between Rs. 8.99 lakh and Rs. 16.99 lakh (ex-showroom). The Carens comes with features like a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, Kia Connect, single-pane sunroof, wireless charger, digital cluster, one-touch tumble middle row, roof-mounted rear AC vents, etc.
The 1.5-litre petrol engine develops 115 PS and 144 Nm while the 1.4-litre turbo petrol kicks out 140 PS and 242 Nm. The solo diesel delivers 115 PS and 250 Nm. A six-speed manual, a six-speed torque converter AT and a seven-speed DCT aid in delivering power and torque to the wheels.