The third-gen Carnival will be replaced by the facelifted fourth-gen MPV.
Kia has pulled the plug on the Carnival MPV in India and delisted the model from its website. A quick check with our dealer sources confirms the same, as many of them have already stopped taking fresh orders, and a handful of unsold units are available at very few outlets. The Carnival was Kia’s flagship model in India, and was locally assembled from CKD kits.
- Kia Carnival not on sale in India anymore
- Next-gen Carnival expected here by FY2025
- Kia to launch Seltos facelift by end-July
Kia Carnival discontinued in India
The third-gen Carnival was launched in India at the Auto Expo in February 2020. However, just a few months later, in June, the Korean automaker took the covers off the fourth-gen MPV for international markets. Therefore, the Carnival sold in India for three years was already an older-gen model.
Kia was keen to flesh out the outgoing, third-gen model for India that was launched just at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This is also the reason why sales were slow to pick up, although the company had plans to increase localisation levels once it gained momentum. Moreover, the third-gen model, which made its global debut back in 2014, still packed in everything that discerning customers in India would come to expect from a car in this class.
However, with the MPV seeing a full model change globally, it was only a matter of time before the third-gen Carnival was taken off the shelves in India. The final nail in the coffin is likely the BS6 Phase 2 emission norms that came into effect in April this year. While Kia did update the Seltos, Sonet and Carens to meet the stricter emission norms, it did not update the Carnival’s 2.2-litre diesel engine.
With prices starting from Rs 30.99 lakh (ex-showroom), the Carnival was pretty much uncontested, with only the higher variants of the Innova Hycross being a reasonable match. However, with the Carnival now discontinued, the premium MPV segment is all for Toyota to dominate with the Innova Crysta and Hycross, with the more expensive Vellfire positioned at the absolute premium end of the market.
Fourth-gen Carnival expected to arrive in 2024
Kia showcased the fourth-gen Carnival as the KA4 MPV at the Auto Expo earlier this year. The carmaker did not use the name Carnival as it did not want to confuse Indian customers – the third-gen Carnival was on sale at that time.
.jpg&c=0)
The fourth-gen Carnival (KA4) was showcased at this year’s Auto Expo.
Notably, the fourth-gen model, too, has been around globally for three years, and Kia has already started work on a mid-lifecycle update that’s expected to debut early next year. It is this facelifted, fourth-gen model that will be brought to India, meaning India and other markets will be in sync with the product lifecycle.
A facelift for the fourth-gen Carnival has already been spied on test overseas.
The fourth-gen Carnival is a lot larger and more luxuriously appointed than the outgoing model, and the facelift will improve upon that. It’s even touted to receive a new petrol-hybrid powertrain overseas, and while it remains to be seen what makes it to India, it will surely come with a mark-up in price. You can read more about that here.
Upcoming Kia launches in India
Until the next-gen Carnival’s expected arrival in FY2025, Kia India has its hands quite full. The carmaker will be unveiling the mid-lifecycle facelift of the Seltos on July 4, followed by its launch later that month. Kia is also working on a facelift for the Sonet compact SUV, which is expected to debut early next year. You can read more about it here.
Also See:
