New Kia EV9 and Carnival to Launch in India on October 3; Details Here

The Korean automobile manufacturer Kia is aiming to launch two new vehicles, a new facelifted Kia Carnival MPV and an all-electric EV9 on the same day. On that day, the variant-wise price list will be declared. 

The Kia EV9 SUV will be brought via the CBU route, while the Kia Carnival will also initially enter via the CBU route but it might become a CKD (locally assembled) unit later. Besides that, the deliveries are likely to commence from Diwali onwards. 

So, let’s read the details we have so far about these two upcoming Kia cars. 

New 2024 Kia Carnival

Several industry reports suggest that the India-bound 2024 Kia Carnival is a facelifted iteration of the Kia KA4 MPV that was shown at the 2023 Auto Expo As mentioned earlier, the India-bound Carnival will initially follow the CBU route and its local assembly will commence later. 

The CBU product is likely to touch the Rs 50 lakh mark. If launched at that price point, it won’t have any direct rival, but there will be alternatives, like the Toyita Velfire (priced at Rs 1.22 crore) and the Toyota Innova HyCross, which touches the Rs 30 lakh mark for its top-spec variant. 

As seen on the previous version of the Kia Carnival in India, we can expect the India-bound 2024 Carnival to retain the 2.2-litre diesel engine that produced 197bhp and 440Nm of peak torque via a standard 9-speed automatic transmission. It is worth noting that the Carnival was de-listed from the Kia India website in 2023. 

In addition, the international-spec Kia Carnival has a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol hybrid engine and an optional 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine. We feel that Kia India should bring the Carnival MPV with a petrol-hybrid-based engine with adequate power and mileage. 

Besides that, the India-bound 2024 Kia Carnival will have a long list of features, in terms of comfort, convenience and safety. It is deemed to receive ventilated seats, ambient lighting, a digital instrument cluster, a touchscreen infotainment unit, an Ottoman function for rear seats, rear seat entertainment, an air purifier, a digital rear-view mirror, and so on. 

Last, but not least, it may get a 7-, 9- and 11-seating configuration. 

Kia EV9 SUV

Once the EV9 is launched, this will be Kia India’s second electric vehicle after the EV6. The Kia EV9 is the flagship electric SUV in Kia’s global line-up and the India-spec EV9 will have the same offerings as the international-spec. 

This CBU three-row electric SUV is structured on a dedicated all-electric platform, called the e-GMP flexible skateboard platform. This platform also underpins several Hyundai- and Kia - electric cars, including the Kia EV6. 

Now, as for the design, the Kia EV9 has a pronounced boxy design with futuristic yet imposing design elements. And the incorporated design language blends with the new-age designs on the Kia cars. That said, similar design elements can be seen on the EV3 and EV5. 

As for the powertrain, the Kia EV9 has three powertrain options overseas: two single-motor RWD and one AWB variant. 

Upon its India arrival via the CBU route, the EV9 is likely to be priced similar to the BMW iX, which touches the Rs 1 crore mark.