Kia Carens name confirmed for new MPV: Launch date officially revealed

Kia has confirmed that they will be calling their new MPV, Carens. The official launch date of Kia Carens has also been confirmed. It will happen on December 16th. Kia is advertising Carens as an RV or Recreational Vehicle. It will be going against other three-row SUVs.

A teaser video has also been released on Kia’s YouTube channel. The video does not show much except for the LED Daytime Running Lamps of the new MPV. The Daytime Running Lamps themselves look sleek and are shaped in a “Y” form.

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Tae-Jin Park, Managing Director and CEO, Kia India said, “We are really excited to bring our fourth product for the Indian market, the Kia Carens. Kia wants to offer a premium and comfortable family RV that has a three-row seating configuration and features fitting in perfectly with India’s urban lifestyle and road conditions. We are confident that the Kia Carens will prove to be a game changer, and it is all set to shake up a few segments.”

Kia is already using the Carens nameplate in the international market so they have decided to use the same for the Indian market too. The new MPV has been on test for quite some time now and recently, some interior shots of the Carens were also leaked online.

The interior looked quite unique and different from any other interior that we have seen. The test mule was equipped with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system. This is the smaller infotainment unit as Kia also offers a larger 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Both come with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. We are expecting Kia to offer the larger infotainment system on the top-end variant of Carens.

Kia has also provided some shortcut buttons, volume knob and tuning knob. There is an automatic climate control unit and a multi-function steering wheel. We also saw the digital instrument cluster. It is a similar unit that we have seen on the i20 and the Verna but the graphics have been changed heavily.

Carens will also come with cruise control, UVO connected car technology, push button to start/stop the engine, keyless entry, electric sunroof, 12V accessory socket, second-row curtains, multiple charging ports, ambient lighting and much more.

Up-front there will be LED Daytime Running Lamps with halogen headlamps, the top-spec variant might come with LED headlamps. At the rear, there are LED tail lamps and a flat tailgate. There are also 5-spoke alloy wheels on offer.

The engine options are expected to be carried forward from other Kia models. So, there would be a diesel engine as well as a petrol engine. The diesel engine will be the 1.5-litre unit that produces 115 PS of max power and 250 Nm of peak torque. It is offered with a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox.

Kia has multiple petrol engine options under its portfolio. There is a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated engine, 1.4-litre turbocharged engine and a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated engine of Hyundai. All of them are offered with different kinds of automatic transmissions. As of now, it is not confirmed which petrol engine will Kia use.

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