The 4-seater Kia Carnival will reportedly debut in the South Korean market by 2020 second-half
Kia Motors India launched the Carnival at Auto Expo 2020 from a starting price of Rs 24.95 lakh ex-showroom. Also known as the Grand Carnival or Sedona in foreign markets, the luxury minivan fills the gap between Toyota’s Innova Crysta and Mercedes-Benz’s V-Class in India. It is available with just a diesel-automatic powertrain across five variants: Premium 7 Seater, Premium 8 Seater, Prestige 7 Seater, Prestige 9 Seater and Limousine 7 Seater.
We have already driven the top-end Limousine variant (priced at Rs 33.95 lakh) and were thoroughly impressed — check out our detailed Kia Carnival first-drive review. While it is still a fresh product for the Indian market, the current- or third-gen Carnival has been around since April 2014. Kia Motors is apparently working on an ultra-luxury four-seater variant of the minivan. Reports state that it will debut in the South Korean market in the second half of this year.
While details are minimal at the moment, one can be sure that space and opulence would be its primary highlights. The next-gen Kia Carnival is reportedly in the works and the upcoming 4-seater variant could either debut with it or be a final all-out version of the current version.
Needless to say, the Kia Carnival 4 seater variant’s price tag would be pretty north of the current asking price. Still, it could be a bargain compared to rivals. Over the years, vehicle customisation firms such as DC Design (now DC2) have come up with interesting lounge cabin concepts for existing products. The design house, headed by automotive designer Dilip Chhabria, recently unveiled a Toyota Innova Crysta project for Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit.
Kia Motors India currently has only two products: Carnival and Seltos. Both products are arguably the best in the price segments they compete. Ever since bookings commenced, the Kia Carnival has been seeing steady sales. However, the months of March and April proved to be some of the worst in recent automotive history due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Many businesses are on the verge of being closed forever due to immense losses brought about by the nationwide lockdown measures.
The Kia Carnival in India is powered by a 2.2-litre BS6 diesel four-cylinder that makes 197bhp and 440Nm of torque. An 8-speed TC automatic transmission sends the output to the front wheels. It is not a rival to the Toyota Innova Crysta but a compelling premium alternative.
