With SUV like design, new Kia Carnival has shed its minivan roots quite effortlessly and offers a plethora of features and creature comforts
Kia India has launched their flagship EV9 electric SUV and the latest iteration of Carnival MPV. With the launch of these two vehicles, Kia India has consolidated their position in premium and luxury vehicle space. While Kia EV9 was launched at Rs 1.29 Crore (Ex-sh), Carnival was launched at Rs 63.9 lakh (Ex-sh).
New Carnival Has Less Than 2% Bookings Cancelled
When Kia announced prices of Carnival, there was a lot of commotion within Indian automotive community. That’s because the new Carnival launched in India, is priced at around twice as much as its predecessor was. Many social media users even expressed their opinions that a lot of bookings would be cancelled. However, Kia India says otherwise.
Launched at a price tag of Rs 63.9 lakh (Ex-sh), Kia Carnival is around twice the price of its predecessor. Sure, just launched Carnival MPV is the latest facelifted version of 4th Gen model, which is in line with global markets. While its predecessor in India was a rather old 3rd Gen model.
One could almost say the just-launched Carnival is two iterations ahead of the model it replaces. But does it justify a price point which is almost twice as much? Only Indian luxury buyers can answer this question. We’re talking about buyers looking for something like an upcoming Mercedes-Benz V-Class or a Toyota Vellfire on sale.
While social media users shared their opinions that many buyers who had reserved a Carnival before the price announcement, would renounce their booking. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case at all. Kia India has announced that there has been less than 2% booking cancellation post the price announcement till now. Considering they had almost 2,800 bookings before launch, the bookings cancelled would be around 50.
Despite the new price being on higher side, there are no real rivals to Kia Carnival at its Rs 63.9 lakh (Ex-sh) price point. The only real rival for Kia Carnival currently on sale in India is Toyota Vellfire, which starts from Rs 1.22 Cr (Ex-sh) and goes till Rs 1.325 Cr (Ex-sh). Carnival is still competitively priced for what it offers if we bring competition into the equation.
Who is buying the new Carnival?
The retained bookings are also partly due to the type of buyers Kia India is catering to. According to Kia India, Carnival is targeted at urban high-net-income customers, corporates, executives, CEOs, VIPs, politicians, businessmen, rich families, and even celebrities, including sports stars and movie stars.
New Kia Carnival media drive ? ?? pic.twitter.com/oPlnmL6JF6
— RushLane (@rushlane) October 18, 2024
Kia reckons the majority of these buyers are probably 40-50-year-old family-oriented high-net-worth individuals seeking versatility, convenience, sophistication, luxury lifestyle, and social status. Carnival meets those criteria with SUV-like design and a host of segment-best features like a robust 2nd-row experience with powered doors, unmatched in the price range, Level 2 ADAS, Kia Connect 2.0 with system OTA, an 11-inch HUD, among others.