Kia has imported a number of its global models to
India and is using them without any camouflage on public roads. It seems to
have added the Kia Carnival to its fleet recently, images published by Team-BHP
and GaadiWaadi have revealed.
The Kia Carnival was showcased at Auto Expo 2018 in
February, but that was the pre-facelift model. The black-coloured and
white-coloured units plying on the public roads are of the facelifted Kia
Carnival that was introduced in South Korea in March. The updated model
features tweaked headlamps, new tiger nose grille with a detailed mesh-like
pattern, reconfigured bumpers, new alloy wheels, new tailgate garnish and
tweaked tail lamps.
The
Kia Carnival is not a Toyota Innova rival. The Kia Carnival is a much bigger
and more premium product. The minivan actually falls in a segment non-existent
in India. It goes against the likes of Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, and
Chrysler Pacifica.
The Kia Carnival is 5,115 mm long, 1,985 mm wide and
1,740 mm tall. It has a 3,060 mm wheelbase. It is available in 7-seat, 8-seat
and 11-seat versions. The rear bumper design of the units seen in the images
here suggests that we are looking at the 11-seat version. Two engine options
are available in South Korea: 3.3L GDI V6 petrol and R 2.2L E-VGT CRDi diesel.
The petrol engine produces 280 PS and 336 Nm of
torque. The diesel engine is tuned to deliver 202 PS and 441 Nm of torque. Both
engines are paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission.
Kia will enter India in mid-2019 with the Kia SP
Concept-based premium B-SUV that will compete with the Hyundai Creta. This is
the only model it has announced for our market so far. Recently, it was
reported that the company is evaluating the Kia Carnival and Kia Stonic global
models. Previous reports have said that a sub-4 metre SUV will arrive in 2020
and that the Kia Sportage could also join the line-up here at some point.
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