New Kia Carnival teased before October launch

Kia India has officially begun its teaser campaign for the new Carnival MPV ahead of its launch on October 3. The new Kia Carnival will be brought to India via the CBU route, though the Korean brand has plans to locally assemble the MPV at a later date. Considering its full-imported status, new Carnival prices are expected to go beyond Rs 50 lakh, ex-showroom.

The first teaser sent out by Kia confirms a few details about the Carnival for India. Unlike the outgoing model, the new Carnival sports a much larger infotainment touchscreen (international models get a 12.3-inch unit) and a digital instrument cluster (also 12.3 inches), and two sunroofs, one for the front passengers and one above the second row seats. Other features expected with the new Carnival include front and rear dash cams, a head-up display, a digital inside rear-view mirror, and ambient lighting on the dashboard.

Kia dealerships across India have started accepting unofficial bookings for the new Carnival, with the booking amount set at Rs 1 lakh; it’s said to be a fully refundable amount. Dealer sources have also said that there will be one fully loaded variant at launch, and the new Carnival will be offered in two or three exterior colours, including a white finish and a black one.

Details that have yet to be confirmed include the number of seats the new Carnival will come with as in international markets, the MPV gets 7-, 9- and 11-seater options. In addition, while we expect the previous model’s 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel engine to continue, this has also yet to be confirmed. Internationally, the MPV gets 1.6-litre turbo-petrol-hybrid and 3.5-litre V6 petrol powertrain options.  

As we’ve reported before, as the Carnival will be brought in as a CBU, prices will start above Rs 50 lakh, when the launch occurs on October 3. This means that the MPV will have no direct rivals, and slot between the likes of the Toyota Innova Hycross* (Rs 18.92-30.98 lakh) and the Vellfire* (Rs 1.22-1.33 crore).