Kia India has officially announced to showcase 10 products at the 2023 Auto Expo. The company will showcase its concept EV9 SUV, which will preview the brand’s flagship SUV in the electric space. Adding to it, Kia will also unveil a large RV (Recreational Vehicle) at the 16th edition of the Indian Auto Expo.
While Kia hasn’t revealed the name of the RV, it is most likely to be the next-gen Kia Carnival that is already on sale in select international markets. The company will also showcase specialised vehicles including the sportier & special editions of its existing line-up. Moreover, Kia could also showcase its global SUVs including the Sorento 7-seater SUV at the auto event.
The Kia Pavilion will also offer an immersive experience to visitors through a range of audience engagement activities like the Kia EV6 Simulator zone, Technology zone showcasing a live demonstration of Kia Connect, KIN wall of fame highlighting Kia’s success milestone & smart plastic recycling unit among others.
New Kia Carnival
The new Carnival comes with all-new design and a completely revised, all-new interior. It sits on a 3,090mm long wheelbase, which is 30mm longer than the outgoing model. The overall length has been increased by 40mm to 5,155mm and the width has been increased by 10mm to 1995. The bigger dimensions ensure more space inside the cabin. With all seats in position, the 7-seater Carnival offers a boot space of 627-litres which can be increased to 2905-litres by folding the rear seats.
It features a new 12.3-inch digital driver display and a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless connectivity. The new Carnival also has a new ‘Rear Passenger View & Talk’ feature. Front passengers can use this feature to check on rear-seat passengers with a small camera linked to the infotainment system – instead of turning around in their seat. For safety & security, the Recreational Vehicle gets forward collision-avoidance assist, lane keeping assist, blind spot detection, speed limit assist, driver attention warning, blind spot view monitoring, high beam assist, smart cruise control, lane following assist, surround view monitor, seven airbags, VSM and ESC.
The global-spec model is available with 3 engine options – a 290bhp, 3.5L GDi V6 Smartstream engine, a 268bhp, 3.5-litre MPi petrol V6 and a 199bhp, 2.2L Smartstream diesel engine. The diesel version will be launched in our market.
New Kia EV9 Concept
The Kia EV9 electric SUV concept first debuted at the 2021 LA Motor Show. It measures 4,929mm in length, 2,055mm in width and 1,790mm in height, and has a wheelbase of 3,099mm. The concept SUV is based on the modular E-GMP electric car architecture, which also underpins the Kia EV6, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Ioniq 6. It comes fitted with a 77.4kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack, and offers a driving range of up to 483km or 300mm in a single charge.
Kia Sorento
The 3-row Sorento 7-seater SUV is based on the new-gen Hyundai Santa Fe platform, which is not on sale in our market. The SUV is available with multiple engine options including turbo petrol, turbo diesel, self charging petrol hybrid & PHEV. The fourth-gen Kia Sorento rivals the Jeep Meridian and the Skoda Kodiaq.
