Kia Carnival confirmed for India; launch expected in 2020

It has only been a short while since the Kia Carnival was first spotted testing in India and now its launch has been confirmed by the company for the Indian market. The Korean automobile manufacturer announced that it will be launching the full-size MPV in India in the first half of 2020.

The Carnival has already been confirmed to be a bigger alternative to the Toyota Innova Crysta. Since the Innova Crysta is a segment leader, the Carnival will be allotted to an individual segment with no immediate competition.

Kia has equipped the car with its signature tiger-nose grille, which is flanked by a pair of projector headlamps. It also gets a pair of air dams placed below the headlamps. This also houses the ‘Ice Cube’ LED fog lamps. The rear bears a minimalist design with split LED lamps. A chrome strip adorns the number plate housing rounding up the posterior aesthetics.

The Carnival outsizes the Innova Crysta almost completely, as it is longer by 380 mm, wider by 155 mm and has a wheelbase of 3,060 mm against Toyota’s 2,750 mm. It only falls short in height by 55 mm which is not a significant difference.

Though it is yet to be confirmed, it is expected that the India-spec Carnival could be powered by a BSVI-compliant 2.2-litre diesel engine which makes 202 PS of maximum power and 440 Nm of peak torque, mated to a 6-speed manual or an 8-speed automatic gearbox. The Carnival available in international markets is equipped with a 3.3-litre V6 petrol engine that makes 206 PS and 330 Nm.

Kia is aiming to localise at least 60 percent of the production of the Carnival to keep the costs in check. For this, it has already allotted an assembly line at its plant in Anantpur, Andhra Pradesh. It is expected that the SUV will be priced in the range of Rs 24-26 lakh (ex-showroom).