Kia Carens is all set to have its world premiere on December 16, 2021. Recently, the company released the official exterior and interior sketches of the MPV. Now, our friends at Rushlane have learnt about the variants and features of the upcoming MPV. Kia Carens will be positioned between the Kia Seltos and Kia Carnival while it will be directly aimed at Maruti Suzuki Ertiga. The Carens MPV will be locally manufactured at the brand's facility in Andhra Pradesh with pricing expected to start around Rs 10-12 Lakhs (Ex. Showroom).
Speaking of Kia Carens variants, it will be offered in six trim levels namely L, LX, EX, EX+, TX and TX+. In addition, the MPV will get HTP and HTM variants under the L trim, while LX trim will be offered with a Premium variant followed by the Prestige variant under the EX trim. Last but not the least, the EX+, TX and TX+ grades will have Prestige+, Luxury and Luxury+ variants. The MPV is expected to boast of a slew of premium features in the form of an all digital instrument cluster, wireless charging, sunroof and a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto & UVO Connect. The safety features on-board will include 6 airbags, ESC, hill start assist and a 360-degree camera.
It is being believed that Kia Carens might debut Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) in the segment but it is not confirmed as of now. Underpinning the same architecture as the Seltos, the MPV will be powered by the same set of petrol and diesel engines. The petrol variants will draw power from a 1.5L motor which develops top power of 113 bhp and peak torque of 144 Nm while the diesel variants will also have the 1.5L mill with power output of 113 bhp and torque performance of 250 Nm. The former can be availed with a 6-speed manual and a CVT automatic gearbox but the latter will be strictly limited to a 6-speed manual transmission. Expect the launch in Q1 2022 in India.