Kia pulls the model name Carens, which was referred to the archive in 2018, from the mothballs and sticks it on a model specially developed for the Indian market with strong MPV traits. It is yet another piece of evidence that MPVs are still receiving a lot of attention outside the European borders.
In the European market, the MPV has been almost completely supplanted by SUVs and crossovers, but beyond that, the concept of the practical space giant remains popular. Particularly in Asian countries, Toyota, Suzuki, Mitsubishi and Hyundai, among others, are launching one after the other new or revised MPV. Kia also has a new MPV-like ready, although the brand has only one market in mind for the youngest Carens: India. He will make his public debut on December 16.
The new Kia Carens will be an SUV-influenced model that, like the EV6, is drawn according to Kia’s Opposites United design philosophy. The Carens will have a stubborn front with lighting spread over two layers. High on the nose we find the LED daytime running lights, one floor below are the actual headlights. At the rear, the new Carens will have boomerang-shaped and interconnected light units. The Carens will have a circular dashboard with apparently displays that are housed in a black panel. Kia already speaks of a 10.25-inch infotainment screen that will be placed in the middle of the dashboard.
Kia Carens
Kia delivered three generations of Carens in the Netherlands between 2000 and 2018 and registered more than 12,000 copies during that period. In 2003 the model experienced its best sales year, in that year 1,617 copies found a Dutch owner. The last generation of Carens appeared in 2012 and disappeared from the international market in 2018.
Although you can still buy MPVs and MPV-like models in the Netherlands, the flush is getting thinner. Should the MPV return to our market on a larger scale? We are curious about your opinions.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl