New-Gen Kia Carnival is expected to go on sale sometime next year in India; gets radical changes inside and out
Kia India introduced the Carens earlier this year and it has been well received amongst customers. It is the second MPV from the brand as the Carnival is already on sale here garnering good sales tally in the premium space. In the global markets, Kia retails the new generation Carnival for quite some time now but it has not made its way to India yet.
The fourth generation Kia Carnival is expected to be showcased at the 2023 Auto Expo. The premiere motoring show will be hosted at the India Expo Mart in Greater Noida and Kia recently teased the EV9 seven-seater electric SUV concept, which will also be on display. The new-gen Carnival is a radical departure compared to the existing model.
It will be more premium than the outgoing Carnival as it follows the latest design philosophy adopted by the South Korean auto major. The more futuristic exterior comprises a sleeker front grille section, sharper LED headlamps, full-width LED light bar at the back, etc. Just as the exterior, the interior of the fourth-gen Carnival will be more upmarket.
It is available in seven-, nine- and eleven-seater configurations in the international markets and it will be interesting to see which layouts will be allocated for our domestic market. With twin 12.3-inch screens (one for the touchscreen infotainment system and the other for the fully-digital instrument console), the upcoming Carnival will be packed with high-end equipment.
Elsewhere, the latest Carnival is sold in 2.2-litre turbocharged four-cylinder diesel and a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine. The former is on sale already in India producing a maximum power outpout of 200 PS and 440 Nm of peak torque and it will likely continue. It is also high on safety and has larger proportions compared to the outgoing model.
The bigger dimensions meant that the new generation Kia Carnival will be more spacious on the inside as well. Expect the prices to hover around Rs. 30 lakh as it will compete against the top-end variants of the recently launched Toyota Innova Hycross.