Kia Motors India on Wednesday launched its premium multipurpose vehicle (MPV) Carnival priced from `24.95 lakh onwards (ex-showroom), and also showcased the SUV Sonet compact concept at the ongoing Auto Expo 2020 in Greater Noida near Delhi.
The Carnival has created a new premium MPV segment in India — sitting at the upper-end of Toyota Innova Crysta (Rs 16-24 lakh). Besides the entry-level Premium variant, there is a Prestige variant priced at Rs 28.95 lakh and the Limousine variant at Rs 33.95 lakh. The company said it had received more than 3,500 bookings for the Carnival to date.
The Sonet concept will be developed as a sub-4 metre SUV, competing with Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, Mahindra XUV300, among others. It will be launched in the second half of 2020, and will be a ‘connected’ car — one can activate various car features using an app on one’s smartphone — like the Seltos and the Carnival.
Kia entered the Indian market last year with the Seltos SUV, which was displayed as the SP concept at Auto Expo 2018. With more than 60,000 units sold in five months, it has become the fifth-largest passenger vehicle company in India in terms of unit sales, with just one model.
Kookhyun Shim, MD & CEO, Kia Motors India, said the company first understood Indian customers’ aspirations, and then matched these with best-in-class products and services. “First the Seltos, and now the Carnival, are examples of this approach. Although the Carnival is a leap up from the Seltos into a far more premium segment, it has been devised with the same passion,” he said.
The Carnival is powered by a 2.2-litre BS6 diesel engine, mated to eight-speed automatic transmission; it doesn’t have a manual gearbox option. Going forward, Kia Motors India will focus on more premium segments of the Indian passenger vehicle market. “We don’t want to play in every segment; we want to play in the ‘right’ segment,” said Lorenz Glaab, vice-president, product management sub-division, Hyundai Motor Group, the parent company of Kia.
This also implies that Kia Motors may not enter the hatchback segment in India, or even the sub-4 metre sedan segment (Maruti Suzuki Dzire, Hyundai Aura, among others). “If you look at our current portfolio, we have an upper B segment SUV (the Seltos), will soon have a lower B segment SUV (the Sonet), and a premium MPV (the Carnival), so the next logical step should be a C or D segment sedan (rather than the sub-4 metre sedan segment),” Glaab added.
At the Expo, the company also displayed the Seltos X-Line Concept (a bolder redesign of the Seltos) and showcased 14 products from its global portfolio, including the Soul EV, the Niro EV, the XCeed crossover, and the Stonic crossover.
