What you see here is the Kia Carnival. Destined to become the company’s second and flagship offering in India, the MPV will receive a price list next month at the Auto Expo 2020. Like the Seltos, the Carnival will comply with BS6 (Bharat Stage 6) emissions norms right from the start. Unlike the SUV, however, the MPV will come with just one engine-transmission option. More on that later. As far as the trim levels are concerned, a total of three will be on offer – Premium, Prestige and Limousine.

Premium

The Carnival’s entry-level point. In this trim, one could either opt for a seven-seat layout or an eight-seat configuration. The standard equipment list includes an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a rear-view camera, three-zone climate control, 18-inch alloy wheels, push-button start/stop, auto headlamps and one-touch power sliding doors.

Prestige

As you’d expect, the mid-level trim will house all the gizmos from the Premium tier. In addition to those, features such as electronic stability control with hill assist, LED projector headlamps, dual-electric sunroof, power-folding ORVMs, six airbags, all four disc brakes, a 220-volt laptop charger and front parking sensors are part of the package. Like the Premium trim, the Prestige-spec Carnival will be on offer in a seven-seat layout. There will also be a 9-seat configuration, spread over four rows.

Limousine

No, the Carnival in this spec will not be dimensionally different. However, it will only come as a seven-seater in Limousine spec. On top of all the features from the Prestige trim, the Carnival will get VIP seats with leg support, Nappa leather seat upholstery, an 8-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, UVO connected-car features (free three-year subscription), two 10.1-inch rear-seat entertainment displays, 10-way electrically-adjustable driver’s seat with ventilation, built-in air purifier and a wireless mobile charger.

Powertrain

All versions of the Kia Carnival will house the same propulsion system. That comprises of a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel engine with 197bhp/440Nm, and 8-speed automatic transmission. Compared to its closest rival, the Toyota Innova Crysta, the Carnival is way more powerful and a lot roomier. The BS6-compliant Innova comes with two engine options – 2.7-litre petrol and a 2.4-litre diesel. The latter produces 148bhp/343Nm and is available with both manual and automatic transmissions.

What might not work in favour of the Kia is the list of colour options. Only three will be available – black, silver and white. The Carnival will also cost significantly more than the Innova Crysta. Prices are likely to start at around Rs 25 lakh. Kia, it seems, wants its top-of-the-line offering to create a new segment rather than eating into Toyota’s market share. How do you think the Carnival will perform in India?