Upcoming Kia Carnival MPV caught testing with Toyota Innova Crysta

Kia launched the much-awaited Seltos in the Indian market, which has become extremely popular. The all-new mid-size SUV has received more than 30,000 bookings on the day of price announcement and last month, the brand has dispatched more than 6,000 units of the Seltos. Now Kia is working to launch their second product in the Indian market, which will be an MPV. The manufacturer has also confirmed the launch of the all-new MPV, which will take on the likes of Toyota Innova Crysta.

Recently, the upcoming car was spotted testing on the Indian roads and it was seen doing a benchmarking test with the Toyota Innova Crysta. PowerDrift shared the pictures showing both the cars testing during the rush hour. It should be noted that Kia has already confirmed that they will bring the Carnival as their second vehicle in the Indian market. The launch of the car is expected to happen sometime next year.

The pictures showing the Carnival and the Toyota Innova Crysta in the same frame is proof that Kia will target the best-selling MPV in the segment – the Innova Crysta. It is a known fact that Toyota Innova is extremely popular in the Indian market and has been around for years now. To topple the Innova Crysta from the top-spot will be a challenge for any car. However, looking at the popularity of the Seltos and Kia’s strategy for the Indian market, the Carnival seems like a challenging product.

It should be noted that the Kia Carnival is much bigger in size compared to the Innova Crysta. It will be positioned higher than the Innova in the market too. The Innova Crysta is priced at around Rs 15 lakhs, ex-showroom. The Kia Carnival’s base model is expected to get a Rs 20 lakh price tag. Since the Carnival is a much bigger vehicle than the Innova Crysta, the price will be justified.

Kia is not planning to do big numbers with the Carnival in the Indian market. The South Korean manufacturer is aiming at around 1,000 units on an average every month. Due to its bigger size, the Carnival offers a bucketload of space inside the cabin. Like the Innova Crysta, the Carnival is available in 7 and 8 seat variants in the international markets. The Indian market is likely to get both the options to cater to a wide range of customers.

Kia powers the international spec Carnival with a 2.2-litre diesel engine that produces a maximum power of 199 Bhp and peak torque of 441 Nm. It gets an automatic transmission too. However, it is not known if Kia will continue to use the same engine for the Indian market or will introduce a new engine.