Kia EV9 and 2024 Kia Carnival: All You Need to Know

Kia India has recently launched two of its most highly anticipated vehicles in the country - the new generation Carnival and its global flagship EV, the EV9.

As you might remember, the Carnival was already on sale in our country earlier but in its third-generation avatar. That said, the new iteration is running its fourth-generation. In parallel, the Kia EV9 is a full-size electric SUV and the flagship product in the brand’s global lineup, priced at Rs 1.3 crore (ex-showroom). 

Both the newly launched Kia cars in India follow the CBU route. 

The 4th-Gen Kia Carnival vs Rivals

The third generation of the Kia Carnival was on sale in India from 2020 to the middle of 2023, which was later discontinued by the brand. Now Kia has introduced the fourth generation of the Carnival which looks drastically different from its predecessor.

The new Carnival looks more like an SUV, thanks to its boxy design language, whereas its predecessor had an MPV-like design.

The car has retained the 2.2-litre diesel mill from its predecessor which churns out 441Nm of peak torque. The car is also loaded with features like twin 12.3-inch screens, twin sunroofs, 11-inch HUD (heads-up display), 12-speaker Bose-sourced surround sound system and a plethora of other features. 

The only bit that we think is not working in this car’s favour is its high pricing of Rs 63.9 lakh (ex-showroom). Irrespective of the vehicle's offerings, the patrons are likely to weigh the price and the brand, thereby creating a reconsideration of the vehicle.

Despite the lack of competitors of a similar nature around this price, the new Kia Carnival still feels like an overpriced vehicle. 

But Kia India has stated that it will follow the CBU route initially, and later it will switch to the CKD route.

However, the Kia Carnival has an affordable alternative, the Toyota Innova Hycross, priced at Rs 30.98 lakh (ex-showroom).  The other alternative is the hybrid-based MPV, the Toyota Velfire, which starts from Rs 1.22 Crore (ex-showroom).

The Kia EV9 vs Rivals

Finally, the Kia’s global flagship electric vehicle has arrived in the country at Rs 1.3 crore (ex-showroom). This car has been imported as CBU in the country and that is the main reason behind this shockingly high pricing.

This flagship electric vehicle of Kia has a luxurious cabin filled with features like twin 12.3-inch screens for infotainment and instrumentation, it also gets a 5-inch screen in the middle of bigger screens for HVAC controls. 

The EV9 also has twin sunroofs, a six-seater layout with electrically adjustable captain seats in the second row, a 14-speaker Meridian sound system, and a truckload of comfort, convenience and safety features. 

The performance of the electric SUV is taken care of by the twin-motor all-wheel-drive system which churns out 384hp and a whopping 700Nm of peak torque. Thanks to these big performance figures, this humongous SUV can sprint from 0 to 100 kph in just 5.3 seconds (claimed), which is really commendable. 

Moreover, the 2024 Kia EV9 is equipped with a 99.8kWh battery pack which can be charged from 10 to 80% in just 27 minutes thanks to the support of up to 350KW DC fast charging. The vehicle has an ARAI-claimed range of 561km. 

The Kia EV9 does not have any direct rival as of yet, however, there are several other compelling luxury electric vehicles from German brands like the BMW iX, Audi Q8 e-tron, Mercedes EQS, etc.