In India, Carnival is retailed as a luxury MPV positioned between Toyota Innova Crysta and Vellfire
Kia has been raking in decent sales volume in the Indian automotive market over recent times. Despite having only three models under its roof, the company is currently stationed at the fourth spot in India behind heavyweights such as Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai and Tata Motors.
The company made its debut in India with Seltos which became the highest-selling compact C-segment SUV overtaking its cousin Hyundai Creta. This was followed by its luxury MPV Carnival which unlike Seltos was fully imported under the CBU route. However, there is a big catch.
Details of A-NCAP Crash Test
The one on sale in India is an older generation model while the Korean carmaker has already introduced the fourth-gen model of the premium MPV last year. The new-gen model has been on sale in many international markets ever since including Australia and New Zealand.
A few days ago, the Australian arm of Global NCAP, the parent body which awards safety ratings, conducted a crash test on the Australia-spec Carnival. Video of the entire crash test has been uploaded on YouTube and attached below.
At the end of all the tests, the MPV was awarded a perfect 5-star safety rating. The video begins with a front offset impact test. Front end of Carnival is seen absorbing most of the impact of an object coming from the opposite direction.
The MPV was able to protect the dummy inside quite well. The results were similar when they conducted full-width frontal collisions. This time the engine bay absorbed all impact cleanly while keeping the occupants safe.
The MPV was also tested for the side-impact collision test and oblique pole test where the A-pillar and crumble zones seemed to absorb all the impact. All airbags including the front driver and passenger and side curtain airbags got deployed at the point of impact. The basic shell of the car looks very sturdy and robust and hence was able to protect all dummy occupants from the side impact.
Adult, Child & Pedestrian protection
As reported, Carnival performed better in Adult Occupant Protection and scored the maximum points in the side-impact and oblique pole tests. On the other hand, the MPV scored maximum points the Child Occupant Protection (COP) in the frontal-offset and side-impact tests. Overall, it also scored well in the challenging MPDB frontal-offset and full-width frontal evaluation.
Video also signifies that Carnival is not only safe for boarders but also for pedestrians. Front bumper and bonnet of the MPV have been built in a way to cause minimum damage to a pedestrian in case of an accident and more importantly are compliant with pedestrian safety norms. All the units tested were 8-seater versions of the MPV. Carnival is also offered in seven and nine-seat configurations.
Fourth-Gen Carnival India Launch?
The fourth-gen Carnival is set to make its debut in India in 2022 although an exact launch timeline isn’t available. In international markets, the new Carnival is offered with three engine options- a 3.5-litre V6 MPi naturally aspirated petrol unit, a 3.3-litre GDi V6 petrol unit and a new 2.2-litre CRDi diesel unit which makes 200 bhp and 440 Nm of peak torque.
