[volkman10]

Mod Note: Our Kia Carens Review has been taken live at this link. Please continue the discussion over on the new thread. Thanks!

Kia confirms its product after its SUV - SONET.

Kia is hoping to fill the vacuum left behind with the discontinuation of the diesel Ertiga, especially in the commercial segment.

But, the Kia midsize MPV is still on the drawing board and hasn’t been fully green-lighted yet, with the earliest it can come to the market being by the end of 2021.

The MPV in 2021 to rival the Ertiga and Marazzo. Kia expects total sales in India to account for 10 percent of its global sales.

The model is likely to be a midsize MPV based on the Seltos' platform with the same underpinnings as the SUV, and will be a completely different product. It won’t compete with the Seltos and will be slightly bigger than the Seltos, and below the Carnival. It will have an affordable price and adequate space for seven seats

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[Driving80kph]

KIA is firing on all cylinders, so to speak. They are finding niches in the market and trying their best to exploit those. The only thing that remains to be seen is the brand trust build up. If KIA can create a good customer service reputation, they have the cars to be top 3 in almost all segments.

[Keeleri_Achu]

Well done Kia. They've done their homework right and are targeting all the right segments. A compact SUV, a full size MPV, a sub compact SUV and now a mid size MPV. Other manufacturers who've been in the market for decades should definitely learn a thing or two from Kia. They're taking Indian market very seriously and are definitely going to reap it's benefits. They're not doing the mistake of launching products in segments which are extremely price sensitive and would force them to make compromises. Instead they're targeting people who are going for their 2nd or 3rd car. They already have a global line up which gels very much with the trends in Indian market. A full size SUV in Telluride, an EV in Niro and a premium hatchback in Rio, which could be launched without much delay, if needed. Even then they're working on products tailor made for India, which just shows the level of commitment. I reckon Kia could very well acquire around 10% of market share by the end of this decade, if not sooner. I just hope they do well in After sales services as well. As we all know that's the part that will finally determine an OEM's fate.

As a part of my wish list, I hope Kia brings in the Stinger, at least in limited numbers and position it as a halo product. I believe if priced right, it could do wonders. If Skoda can launch an Octavia for 36 lakhs, I bet Kia can do something about the Stinger. Just my wish.

[Octane99]

According to me the next target is Ertiga and going up till Innova. (they'll definitely launch 15 - 20 variants to play in the field. )

Kia got the price band strategy so right.
If you have anything between 11 - 21 Lakhs, Kia will give you a Seltos.
They are kinda playing in both C and D segment and its working out so brilliantly.
I just kinda have my deep respect for Sales Representative, remembering details of around 24 variants is such a mammoth task.

I wish Kia opens up new car dealerships in B and C category cities as well, and until the tiresome job of setting up a service station takes place, they can have a sort of collaboration with Hyundai for general service & maintenance.
From the day Seltos has lauched, I've encountered around 12-15 people who wants to buy a Seltos, but are a bit concerned as Kia has no Dealership & Service station in my city.
A customer from B and C category town will easily buy a car from next big city, but his major concern is service & maintenance, if Hyundai joins in as a service provider the sales gonna jump sky high.

[volkman10]

KIA's MPV coming in early 2022.

To slot in a segment between Maruti Ertiga and Toyota Innova in the Indian market.

is expected to have dimensions similar to the Mahindra Marazzo (4,585mm in length).

- Kia MPV to have similar dimensions to the Mahindra Marazzo
- Equipment list to be same as the Kia Seltos
- 1.5-litre petrol and diesel engines to feature

Ref. image

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[14000rpm]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Attachment 2093714


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That rendering is of a 2016 KIA Sorento which may have been publicized 5 yrs ago.

The MPV in consideration could be the now discontinued KIA Carens or a modified version of it.

[audioholic]

With the never ending price hikes of the Crysta and the lack of power train options in Ertiga, I bet this will be another blockbuster from Kia. They can easily tap into the market where Mahindra or any other competitor failed. The pricing can also have a healthy range as per Kia standards and can begin in the Ertiga space and go all the way till the base version Innova if they offer lot of options and more than two powertrain and transmission combo. A mini Carnival type of styling is also desirable and looks modern compared to the conventional looks of the Innova.

[Cessna182]

Hopefully this one won't be a safety test dud like the Seltos. Also, hopefully they would be able to sort out the brake failures in the Seltos before launching this without announcing a recall as that's too embarrassing for budget Asian brands which command a premium beyond comparison in India.

Even if this brand sells a 0 star rated car with 4 wheels for 6 lakhs, there would be a lot of Indians lining up to get that because it is a foreign premium brand.

[Shashwat.75]

Originally Posted by Cessna182

Hopefully this one won't be a safety test dud like the Seltos. Also, hopefully they would be able to sort out the brake failures in the Seltos before launching this without announcing a recall as that's too embarrassing for budget Asian brands which command a premium beyond comparison in India.

Even if this brand sells a 0 star rated car with 4 wheels for 6 lakhs, there would be a lot of Indians lining up to get that because it is a foreign premium brand.

Well said!!.
The Seltos and the Sonet are no doubt great all-rounders but there needs to be an emphasis on the negative points of both of these (the questionable safety and hardware niggles - ( though this isn't that common)) And surprisingly there is certain section of media/people who are there to cover this up.

[kraken]

Though Mahindra tried their best and came out with a good (semi-good ?) product, Kia is going to absolutely demolish competition and sit in as the segment leader with their MPV. I had a chance to experience the rear seat comfort of the Kia Carnival and I must say they know how to do MPV's. Except the humongous size of the Carnival, everything else hit the sweet spot. And with a smaller MPV they've a chance to do a Seltos in the MPV segment. Lack of a good diesel auto, I repeat 'AUTO' is what ails already sluggish MPV market.

[drmohitg]

Wonderful news and shows how well Kia has understood our market and the segments which have room to grow, do volumes, and at the same time return a much higher profit per car as compared to the higher volume hatchback segments. This should certainly put them in the number 3 position.

[sreejithkk]

Great move. I always felt the MPV segment is lacking sufficient competition, and why hyundai/kia haven't entered this market. Especially when you see that Ertiga consistently averages 8-9K with just a petrol engine. I bought the new Ertiga almost 2 year back, and that time there were not much competition except Marazzo. I actually wanted to move away from Maruti(Just because the rattles that I have WagonR from the 1st year itself), and preferring Hyundai/Honda. However there was not much option in the market at that time. Honda had aging BRV, which I did not like (we already have Amaze and BRV felt almost the same from inside). I still tried Marazzo but the base M2 do not have features like steering mounted audio control, seat height adjust, and electric adjust for RVM. the other models was beyond my budget which was capped at 9.99 ex-showroom. Fortunately the Ertiga do not rattle much and have a really comfortable ride, but I still would have tried my luck, if Hyundai/Kia had a MPV in the market at that time.

After Marazzo and Ertiga, only Renault gave a serious attempt in MPV market and that was too a huge success. So I believe there is a strong market for a smaller MPV which is under 4.5 meter length.

[kamilharis]

Originally Posted by volkman10

KIA's MPV coming in early 2022.
Is expected to have dimensions similar to the Mahindra Marazzo (4,585mm in length).

I think this will be similar to the KIA CARENS (But internationally discontinued in 2019!). It started at an equivalent price of just under INR 13 Lakhs.

[TrackDay]

Oh Boy ! Folks at Maruti must be having nightmares hearing about this.

Currently one of their most expensive cars is the XL6/Ertiga. God bless competition !

[tirumalavoleti]

KIA is getting spot ON. Wonderful option to have good MPV. Soon they would follow up with Sportage.

They are riding on the trend of SUV/MPV.

Parallel to the design and features, they should improve on the safety also.