World premiere of Cares done in New Delhi before the start of 2022

Kia has unveiled its fourth model for the Indian market, with the new Kia Carens making its world premiere in New Delhi. After the Seltos, Carnival and Sonnet, the Kia Carriance - specially designed for the 'modern Indian family', according to Kia - will bridge the huge gap currently in India's domestic MPV market. As the design sketches suggest, the Kia Carense is clearly much more than just another multi-purpose vehicle, with enough design and styling elements to divide opinion on what it actually is.

In building off the Carrence's debut, Kia said its latest offering - which the company defines as an 'recreational vehicle' - combines the characteristics of 'a large family vehicle with the boldness of an SUV'. And that's true, because the Carens looks like an MPV from some angles. It is bigger than the Seltos, and takes some cues from the mid-size SUV, especially when seen in profile.

The first model to be based on Kia's new 'Opposites United' design philosophy for India, the caravan features what Kia calls the 'Digital Tiger Nose' front end. A distinctive light signature is created by the kinked LED DRLs up front (which draw inspiration from the Constellations), which sit atop the main LED headlight cluster.

The large air intake has a chrome enclosure, heavy plastic cladding around the sides of the cairns, and the subtly included roof rails all make it tougher than its MPV look. The LED tail-lights are attached to a slim light bar to span the width of the MPV, and the rear bumper also has a large chrome element integrated into it, so when viewed from a side- or rear-three-quarter angle, the Carens Looks more SUV like.

On the inside, the Kia Carens packs a 10.25-inch touchscreen similar to the Seltos (running the new Kia Connect infotainment system that could feature OTA updates), along with a digital instrument display, a standard-sized sunroof, ventilated Front seats, wireless smartphone charging, an air purifier, eight-speaker Bose sound system, 64-color ambient lighting, over 60 connected car features and more.

Kia will offer it in both six- and seven-seat variants, with the former being equipped with captain chairs for second-row passengers and, in welcome news for third-row occupants, an electric fold-out second row seats. and is. -Tumble function to ease entry to the last line. The rear passengers also get a dedicated second AC unit and AC vents, and the space is likely to be class-leading, with Kia claiming that the Caravan will have the longest wheelbase of all the models it will compete with.

The Carrence name will be familiar to audiences overseas, as Kia has sold three generations of the Carrence MPV overseas over the past two decades, and the model unveiled today is technically the fourth-generation Kia Carrence. According to Kia, the name Cars is based on the concept of "Car + Renaissance. Aimed at 'modern Indian families', Kia says the Cars will create a segment of its own.

This may not be strictly true, as the Mahindra Marazzo is still very much around, but hardly finds any buyers, and a gap exists between India's best-selling MPV - the budget-end Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and Toyota Innova. Is. Premium end. Kia's only MPV on sale in India, the Carnival, has also been positioned as a super-premium offering, and the Carnival - which is expected to be slightly bigger than the Seltos, but smaller than the Carnival - will be more affordable and more affordable. will be accessible. family vehicle.

The Kia Carens will carry the Seltos' 115 hp, 1.5-litre petrol and diesel engines, and will also be available with a 140 hp, 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine. In addition to the standard manual gearbox, the Kia Carense will also be offered with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (for the 1.4-litre turbo-petrol variant) and a six-speed torque-converter automatic (for the 1.5-litre turbo-petrol variant). liter diesel version). Carens will also come with a drive mode.

Except for the Marazzo, the Kia Carens will not have any direct rivals at launch, but it will have to contend with three-row SUVs operating in the same price segment, which includes Alcazar, MG Hector Plus and Tata Safari. Kia Carens is expected to be priced from Rs 13-19 lakh (ex-showroom) when launched in the first quarter of 2022.

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