Kia 7-Seat MPV Codename KY Reveal on Dec 16, Will Rival Ertiga | V3Cars

17 November 2021
By Mahesh Yadav
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Kia will reveal their first MPV for India, codenamed KY, on December 16, 2021. This new 7-seat MPV will rival the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, which currently doesn’t have any competition at all. Kia may call the production version of the KY ‘Kia Carens’, which is what a recent official trademark filing suggests.

Kia KY / Kia Carens Engine Specs

The KY or Carens is likely to use the Sonet’s platform and offer 1.5L normal petrol and 1.5L turbo diesel as engine options. There were rumours suggesting that Kia are working on an auto-clutch manual transmission (ACMT) for their 1.5L diesel engine. If this rumour comes true, then we may see the Carens come with ACMT with petrol as well as diesel engine. Kia already sells the Seltos 1.5L normal petrol with the 6-speed ACMT. The auto-clutch transmission will make it a very convenient car to drive in city traffic for families.

To properly challenge the Ertiga on its own turf, Kia may also offer a CNG option, which is currently exclusively available with the Ertiga in the entire MPV class in India.

Kia Carens Competition

The Kia KY or Kia Carens is not the first car to challenge the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga. The Renault Lodgy and Nissan Evalia have tried and failed. The Datsun Go Plus also tried the same formula in an affordable package and failed. The only car surviving is the Mahindra Marazzo. However, it’s a different animal altogether. The Marazzo is larger, has a ladder frame chassis and no petrol and CNG engine options.

In the MPV business, the Renault Triber, Maruti Suzuki Ertiga/Nexa XL6 and Toyota Innova rule their respective segments. On the upper end of this MPV business, 3-row SUVs like the Tata Safari, MG Hector Plus and Hyundai Alcazar are stealing some business from the Innova but it’s still holding strong and remains in high demand.