Kia Carnival HEV Launching in India Soon as Part of Kia’s Powertrain Diversification Strategy

While the Kia Sorento launch was the main attraction at the company’s Inspiration Day event, it also confirmed the imminent launch of the Kia Carnival HEV and a few other surprises. Prices have not yet been announced, but the new option should make its way to the market soon.

Kia India SVP - Sales and Marketing, Atul Sood, announced the news along with Saikiran Kuppili, Head of Project Management (R&D), saying that India’s car buyers have diverse needs, need their cars to work in many different conditions. Therefore, a hybrid option is coming to the Kia Carnival MPV, as part of the company’s strategy to offer various powertrains to different customers and expand its market reach.

The Carnival HEV will be Kia India’s premium flagship MPV. It will have the same Smartstream 1.6 litre Turbo GDi engine as the Sorento, producing 180 PS of power with 265 Nm of torque. It will be matched with an electric motor capable of 73.4 PS and 304 Nm of torque. It will also have a 6 speed automatic transmission.

At 1.78m tall, the interior layout of the Carnival has been slightly modified to accommodate the battery. It will ride on 18-inch aero alloy wheels for improved aerodynamics, and it will also have active air flaps on the front. Powertrain switching will be seamless and lag-free. There’s also a virtual engine sound in electric mode.

In addition to the Carnival HEV, Kia India also announced factory-fitted CNG versions of the Carens and Carens Clavis MPVs coming soon, and showed off a Syros Flex-Fuel demo car capable of running on E0-100 petrol. Exact launch dates and prices have not yet been announced.