The Kia Carnival
has received the green signal for India, as per a fresh report from Autocar
India. Kia is adopting a
top-down approach for its India entry, and its line-up in the early years will
include a mix of locally manufactured models and locally assembled imports. The
latter will include the Carnival minivan, also known as the Grand Carnival and
Sedona in some markets. Sun Wook Hwang, Senior General Manager, Market and PR,
Kia Motors India, has confirmed this development.
The Kia Carnival is
available in three-row and four-row versions, with seats for 7, 8 or 11 people
depending on the version selected. India will get the three-row version with 7
seats. Expecting mostly chauffeur-driven customers for the MPV, Kia will focus
on the rear-seat comfort.
The 7-seat Kia
Carnival measures 5,115 mm in length, 1,985 mm in width and 1,755 mm in height.
It has a 3,060 mm wheelbase. One can expect features like 18-inch alloy wheels,
LED headlights, LED fog lights, LED rear combination lamps, dual sunroof, power
sliding doors, lounge second-row seats with leg rest, double reclining third-row
seats, tri-zone automatic climate control, rear-seat entertainment system,
power tailgate and more.
Hwang has confirmed
that the plan is to offer the Kia Carnival with only the R 2.2 diesel engine.
This 2.2-litre four-cylinder engine produces 202 PS and 441 Nm of torque and
sends power to the wheels via an 8-speed automatic transmission.
Hwang has said that
the Kia Carnival may cost INR 22 lakh onwards. It will target customers looking
for an MPV plusher and more spacious than the Toyota Innova Crysta. There’s no
word on the launch timeline.