Auto Expo 2020: Kia Motors launches Carnival at Rs 24.95 lakh; unveils compact SUV Sonet

Kia Motors, the Korean car brand, launched the Carnival multi-utility vehicle in India at the Auto Expo. The base version starts at Rs 24.95 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), with the top-end version costing Rs 33.95 lakh.

More than 3,500 bookings have been received for the Carnival since it opened in January. The Carnival will be a premium people mover that will compete against the segment bestseller Toyota Innova Crysta.

There will be three trim options with the Carnival and multiple seating options (7, 8 and 9 seater). Electric sunroof, dual touch screen system and powered tailgate are some of the features on the Carnival. There are 37 UVO smart features on the Carnival that can be accessed through a smart watch.

The Carnival comes powered by a 2.2 litre, BS-VI diesel engine mated to a eight speed transmission that generates 200ps of peak power. There will be three colour options on the MUV.

Kia, which is also one of the biggest SUV makers in India, also showcased the Sonet compact SUV as a concept. The Sonet will compete against the Maruti Brezza and the Hyundai Venue.

The Sonet will be launched in the second half of 2020, a senior company executive stated at the launch event.

Kookkyun Shim, MD and CEO, Kia Motors India, said, "Compact SUV is a new concept at the Kia pavillion. We also have zero emission Soul and Niro electric vehicles on display."

By 2025-end, Kia Motors will have a full line up of 11 battery electric vehicles with a global market share of 6.6 percent in the EV space, Shim added.

Kia Motors Corporation is the world’s eighth largest automaker. It clocked 15,450 unit sales in January, retaining its position as the fourth largest automaker in the country in terms of sales.

Seltos with sales of 15,000 units becomes the sixth highest selling model in the country, while Carnival also gets a headstart with 450 units dispatched to dealers.

In addition, Seltos becomes the highest selling SUV, beating the nearest competitor by more than 30 percent. January marks the highest ever sales for Seltos since its launch in August 2019. Total sales for Kia stood at 60,494 in five months.

The company said there will be over 300 touchpoints of Kia in India by December-end.