Kia Carnival 11-Seater to be offered as CKD model, says dealers

At present, the Kia Carnival is offered in both locally-assembled (CKD) and fully-imported (CBU) forms, with the latter being the version offered when the large MPV officially went on sale here back in January last year.

The CKD version went on sale later the same year in July and differs from the CBU in terms of seat count. The CBU Carnival comes with 11 seats whereas the CKD version is available with either seven or eight seats.

However, it looks like Kia Malaysia will be reintroducing the 11-seat Carnival as a CKD model, as local dealers have begun accepting pre-orders. According to posts on social media, the CKD version of the 11-seat Carnival is estimated to be priced at RM218,000.

For context, the CBU 11-seat Carnival is currently listed at RM199,840.80 on-the-road without insurance, and with the estimated figure provided by dealers, you’re looking at an increase of around RM18k. The estimated price of the CKD 11-seat Carnival is also less than the existing CKD variants, which range from RM233,528,80 to RM261,228.80.

The price difference between the CBU and CKD versions could be due to changes to the specifications, which are unknown for now, although dealers suggest they will be similar. There could be other reasons for the price difference, with some dealers telling us when we inquired that the cost of local assembly is higher.

The 11-seat Carnival has a 2-3-3-3 layout, with the two outer second-row seats being the only ones with ISOFIX child seat anchors. The small second- and third-row centre seats are meant for temporary use, as they still only come with lap belts; they can be folded and tipped up to the side to allow for a central walk-through.

Currently, the CBU 11-seat Carnival shares the same engine with the CKD versions, with a Smartstream D2.2 four-cylinder turbodiesel providing 202 PS (199 hp) and 440 Nm of torque. Drive goes to the front wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Kia Carnival 11-Seater to be offered as CKD model, says dealers – RM218k est; currently fr RM200k CBU

The kit list features 18-inch alloy wheels, automatic dual-LED headlamps, LED DRLs, LED front fog lamps, bulb-type taillights and rear fog lamps, rain-sensing wipers, keyless entry and engine start, dual power-sliding doors, front and rear parking sensors, a 4.2-inch TFT LCD instrument cluster display, three-zone climate control (dual front and single rear), a wireless phone charging pad as well as a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system (with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay).

On the safety and driver assistance front, the fully-imported MPV comes with seven airbags, ABS, EBD, brake assist, ESC, traction control, multi-collision brake control, hill start assist, brake auto hold (works with the electronic parking brake), rear occupant alert, safe exit assist, blind spot collision warning and rear cross-traffic collision-avoidance exist. Like the CKD 2.2D 8-Seater Mid, the CBU 11-seater lacks autonomous emergency braking.

The CKD 11-seat Carnival is said to be available in four colours, namely Astra Blue, Jet Black, Snowflake White Pearl and Meteor Grey. That’s one less than the CKD seven- and eight-seat variants, which have Sonic Silver as the fifth option.

GALLERY: 2022 Kia Carnival 2.2D 11-Seater (CBU)