New Kia Carnival Bookings Opened In India: Launch On October 3

Updated: Tuesday, September 17, 2024, 9:49 [IST]

Kia has unveiled the India-specific new Carnival ahead of its launch on October 3. The fourth-generation Carnival will imported into India via the CBU route and will be sold alongside the upcoming flagship EV9 next month. Bookings for the new Carnival have started with a token amount of Rs 2 lakh.

New Kia Carnival Exterior and Interior Design

The fourth-gen Carnival, facelifted globally in November last year, follows Kia's latest design language. It features a boxier and sharper look compared to the third-gen model sold in India until June 2023. The front sports the signature 'Tiger Nose’ grille, vertically stacked LED headlamps, and L-shaped LED DRLs. In India, it comes with 18-inch alloy wheels.

At the rear, the L-shaped theme continues with tail-lamps connected by an LED light bar. The C-pillar has a silver chrome inset that merges with the chrome garnish at the bottom of the rear windscreen. The Carnival is available in two exterior colours: Glacier White Pearl and Fusion Black. Inside, it offers two dual-tone themes: Navy and Misty Gray, and Tuscan and Umber.

Features and Safety of New Kia Carnival

The new Carnival boasts dual 12.3-inch curved displays, a standard 7-seater (2+2+3) layout, a 4-spoke steering wheel, dual electric sunroofs, three-zone climate control, a head-up display, and a 12-speaker Bose sound system. Second-row captain seats come with heating, ventilation, massage functions, and adjustable leg support. It also includes a powered tailgate and powered sliding rear doors.

Safety features include eight airbags, disc brakes on all four wheels, ESC, Hill Assist Control, TPMS, VSM, front, rear and side parking sensors. The ADAS Level 2 suite comprises Lane Keep Assist, Lane Departure Warning, Front Collision Warning and Avoidance Assist, High Beam Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control among others.

New Kia Carnival Powertrain

The new Carnival is powered by a sole 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel engine producing 193hp and 441Nm of peak torque. Although torque has increased by 1Nm over the previous generation, horsepower is down by 7hp. The engine is paired with an 8-speed torque converter automatic gearbox that powers only the front wheels.

Launch Date and Expected Price

The pricing for the new Carnival will be announced on October 3. Initially brought to India as a CBU unit in two variants—Limousine and Limousine Plus—it is expected to be priced over Rs 50 lakh. Local assembly is anticipated to start later which may reduce its price.

Upon its launch in India, the new Carnival will not have direct competitors due to its price range. It will be positioned between Toyota Innova Hycross (Rs 19.77 lakh-30.98 lakh) and Vellfire (Rs 1.22 crore-1.32 crore). Once local assembly begins, it could serve as a premium alternative to higher variants of Innova Hycross.

Kia's decision to bring the new Carnival through the CBU route initially indicates their strategy to test market response before committing to local assembly which could make it more competitively priced in future.