Kia has pulled the plug on their Carnival MPV in India. Fresh orders for the MPV had stopped earlier but a handful of the remaining cars that are in stock remain to be on sale.
After its launch in 2020, the Kia Carnival garnered much love from buyers despite being a car from 2014 internationally. But due to its launch being in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, sales were very slow. The fourth gen Kia Carnival is widely available in other markets internationally and it was only a matter of time before we said adios to this third generation model. And the separation came earlier because of the BS6 phase II emission norms that were effective from 1st April this year. Although the engines other Kia models were optimised to meet the regulations, the low volume Carnival’s 2.2L diesel engine was just left to die the slow death.
The car that once gave the Toyota Vellfire a run for its money, is now walking away, leaving the entire segment upto the Toyota Innova Hycross to dominate because the Vellfire is much higher up the price tree.
The Indian audience caught a glimpse of the fourth generation Carnival at the Auto Expo earlier this year and it was dubbed the ‘KA4’. This fourth generation Kia Carnival is now in the process of being put through a facelift, the launch for which is expected next year. This is the model that we anticipate will return to Indian soil, hopefully mid of next year.
The fourth generation Carnival is more luxurious and technologically advanced as compared to the third generation, and this gap will only increase with the new facelift. Speculations are already buzzing that the facelift will get a petrol-hybrid system, but whether that comes to India remains to be seen.
As for price, like everything in life, this too will change. We expect the new facelifted Gen-4 Kia Carnival to land in India at an estimated ex-showroom price of INR 50 Lakh.
The upcoming year seems extremely busy for Kia India with the launch of the Kia Seltos facelift in the first week of July and a facelift for the Sonet also being in the works for a launch in Q4.
Words: Sresht Garg
