Kia Lucky Motors Announces New Variant Of Kia Carnival

by Ishaq Nabi

22-8-2022

2 min read

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Amidst an import ban, Kia Lucky Motors announced a new variant of the Kia Carnival, dubbed the “Executive” variant. It is pertinent to mention that currently there exist two variants of the Kia Carnival; the GLS and the GLS+.

The current generation provided by Kia Lucky Motors in Pakistan is the face-lifted fourth generation. Previously the pre-facelifted models were provided before December 2021. The Kia Carnival was launched in Pakistan in December 2020 and has since then been received quite positively in the country.

It is also pertinent to mention that the Kia Carnival is an eleven-seater SUV, currently being delivered as a CBU. The Kia Carnival available in Pakistan is in line with the models prevalent in the international market. The only difference is that there is no eight-seater variant in Pakistan that is available internationally.

Being an eleven-seater helps Kia Lucky Motors prevent custom duty on the Kia Carnival. The eight-seater variant will be liable to higher custom duty, thereby making it undesirable in the Pakistani market.

Since the government had implemented an import ban on all imported items, and is now considering increasing RD by 3-4 times the current rate, we expect Kia Lucky Motors to start rolling CKD units of Kia Carnival otherwise potential buyers will be deprived of this car no matter how many variants the automaker announces to launch.

Kia Carnival Executive

The Executive variant includes:

Autonomous Driver Assistance System (ADAS)
12.3″ Digital Instrument Cluster
Surround-view monitor
12.3″ Audio Video Navigation (AVN) Display
Rain sensors

Currently, the GLS and GLS+ variants lack ADAS, surround-view monitors, and rain sensors. While the digital instrument cluster and infotainment cluster included in the current variants are both 8 inches.

These bigger displays will make the car more appealing and the ADAS will provide features like lane assist, collision control, blind spot monitoring, and many more, thus improving the driving experience.

Our Thoughts

While this is positive news from the automaker, we hope the company is considering rolling out CKD kits for the local market. Otherwise, the Kia Carnival will become unaffordable once the government increases RD on imported cars to an exorbitant level.