If launched, the Kia Carens CNG will compete directly with the Maruti Suzuki CNG, albeit with premium pricing
Affirming its presence in the Indian car market, Kia is now contemplating alternative fuel options. The Korean carmaker has already confirmed that its flagship electric vehicle, the EV6, will come to India officially in 2022. And now, Kia seems to be working on CNG-powered variants of its existing cars. The Kia Sonet CNG got spotted only a couple of days ago, and now, V3 Cars has put a picture of a test mule of the Carens CNG.
When is Kia Carens CNG coming?
Kia Carens has been spotted with a CNG fuel tank
In the picture, we can see that this particular unit of the Kia Carens has a white-coloured cylinder inside the boot compartment behind the third row. In addition to this, there is an additional black-coloured inlet nozzle positioned beside the fuel tank lid on the rear fender. Both these signs indicate that Kia is testing a CNG-powered version of the Carens.
Kia will offer top-end variants with the Carens CNG
The Carens is available in India with three powertrain options – 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated petrol, 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol and a 1.5-litre diesel. However, the test mule has a label on the quarter glass, which has the code of a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine with the 6-speed manual transmission imprinted on it. It indicates that Kia is working on the possibility of pairing the CNG set-up with the 1.4-litre turbo-petrol powertrain.
Interestingly, Maruti Suzuki introduced the new Ertiga with factory-fitted CNG but did not give the option to the more premium XL6. As the demand for CNG cars increases, we may just get to see Maruti Suzuki bringing the CNG variant too.
Carens Will Offer Third Fuel Option With CNG
The new Carens CNG will ensure at least three fuel options for the customers
When the CNG variant comes, the Kia Carens will become the first-ever vehicle in India to have a CNG-powered setup with a turbocharged petrol engine. Currently, this 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine produces 140 PS of maximum power and 242 Nm of maximum torque and is on offer with two transmission options a 6-speed manual and a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic.
In all likelihood, the CNG-powered Kia Carens will have lower power and torque outputs than the figures mentioned above. Also, to keep the costs in check, the CNG-powered variants will skip the premium 7-speed dual-clutch automatic and will be available only with the 6-speed manual gearbox.
Also, as in most cars, the CNG powertrain will be made available only in lower and mid-spec variants. Currently, the Kia Carens is available in five variants – Premium, Prestige, Prestige Plus, Luxury and Luxury Plus. Except for the entry-level Premium variant, the 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine is available in all the other variants. The top-end variants of the Kia Carens are also likely to get the CNG fuel option.
It means that the CNG variant will come loaded with high-end features
It is not clear whether Kia Is working on the CNG-powered Carens for just commercial fleet buyers or individual buyers as well. However, considering the competition, it might be available for both types of buyers. It will compete directly with the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga CNG, the only compact three-row CNG vehicle currently available in India.
Kia Carens is quite popular in India
Interestingly, we might even get to see a Maruti Suzuki XL6 CNG in the coming months
Launched in February 2022, the Carens has been a run-away success for Kia in India. The MPV has already crossed the milestone of 50,000 bookings across India, whereas its introductory prices have also been hiked by up to Rs 70,000.
Do you think the Kia Carens CNG can be a success like the currently-available regular versions of the MPV? Let us know in the comments below.
Keyword: Carens CNG Spied; Is Kia One Step Ahead Of The Maruti XL6 CNG?