Kia India has achieved a significant milestone with its MPV, the Kia Carens, surpassing 2 lakh unit sales within just 36 months of its launch back in February 2022. The Carens has been competing fiercy with the Maruti Ertiga within the market as a favourite amongst families, loved for its spaciousness and value-for-money.
What Makes The Carens So Popular?
One of the main reasons behind the Carens’ success is its spacious design and focus on family-friendly features. The 7-seater variants have been particularly popular, with 95% of total sales. This shows that the vehicle has been particularly popular amongst larger families.
What Models Of The Carens Are Popular?
Customers have shown a willingness to opt for higher-end trims, which come with features like ventilated seats, connected car technology, and multiple drive modes. This reflects a growing trend amongst buyers to opt for convenience features. Around 28% of buyers chose models with a sunroof.
The Carens attracts both petrol and diesel buyers. Petrol variants account for 58% of sales, while diesel makes up 42%. A third of consumers went with automatic transmissions, showing a shift towards them from manuals. Kia offers a wide range of engine options, including a diesel & a turbo-petrol paired with a sporty DCT transmission too – leaving no stone unturned to grab market share.
What Is The Carens Competing With?
The Kia Carens is giving tough competition to the Maruti Ertiga, the only competitor in the 7-seater MPV market. The Ertiga comes with typical Maruti benefits, such as their vast service network, frugal fuel efficiency & bulletproof reliability, while the Carens offers modern features, better comfort & space and more engine options.
What’s Next For The Carens?
Kia is expected to introduce updates to keep the Carens competitive. A mid-life facelift is in the works for the current petrol and diesel models & has been spotted testing. There are also rumours of an electric version being added to the line-up in the future.
