Kia’s 2nd Car for India will be an MPV – Launch in January 2020
Kia Motors’s first product – the Seltos has been a huge hit in the Indian market. The SUV recorded 40,000 pre-bookings in just 35 days, which surely going to boost Kia’s confidence to bring more products in our market. Speaking to ET Auto, Manohar Bhatt, National Head, Sales & Marketing, Kia Motors India confirmed that the brand will introduce one new product every six months.
He further confirmed that the second Kia product will arrive in our market in January, during Auto Expo 2020. The second model could be an MPV, which will be trilor-made suiting that segment customers – Bhatt added. It is no secret that the MPV will be the Kia Carnival, which was first showcased at the 2018 Auto Expo. The Korean brand will introduce the facelift version of the MPV with some tweaks to meet the needs of Indian buyers. The MPV is most likely to be launched during Auto Expo 2020, where Kia could also reveal its future line-up for our market.
The Korean brand is also planning a sub-4 meter SUV, which will be based on the Venue compact SUV. Adding to it, a cross-hatch based on the Rio hatchback is also in the works. Recent media reports suggest that the company is also exploring the possibility of introducing its global products including Telluride, Sorento, Stinger, Niro EV and Soul EV in our market. Kia is aiming to utilise the government’s offer of importing 2,500 cars per month without going through local homologation process.
The Kia Carnival will arrive as a CKD (Completely Knocked Down) unit and is likely to cost around Rs 22 lakh – Rs 28 lakh. It measures 5,115mm in length, 1,985mm in width, 1,740mm in height and has a wheelbase of 3,060mm. Going by the dimensions, the Carnival is significantly bigger than the Innova Crysta.
The Kia Carnival will be powered by a BSVI compliant 2.2-litre, 4-cylinder diesel engine. The turbo-diesel engine is capable of producing 200bhp of power at 3,800rpm and 441Nm of torque between 1,750-2,750rpm. Power is transmitted to the front wheels via a 6-speed automatic gearbox.
