2022 Kia Carnival CKD – production of 7- and 8-seater versions begin in Kulim, three variants to be offered

Kia Malaysia, a joint venture between Kia Corporation and Bermaz Auto (BAuto), has announced that the 2022 Kia Carnival CKD, the first Kia model produced under the partnership, has begun rolling out from the Inokom plant in Kulim, Kedah.

The company said that the locally-assembled Carnival, which was previewed earlier this month, is scheduled to be officially launched soon. As previously indicated, three CKD variants of the MPV will be available, in seven- and eight-seat configurations.

Official prices of the three variants were also leaked earlier this month. The range starts with a 2.2D 8-Seater, priced at RM231,229 on-the-road without insurance, followed by a 2.2D 8-Seater High at RM247,229. Rounding things off is a 2.2D 7-Seater High, which goes for RM261,229, all prices being on-the-road without insurance. The Carnival CKD comes with a five-year/100,000 km warranty and service package.

All variants are powered by a 2.2 litre Smartstream D2.2 four-cylinder turbodiesel, the same unit as found on the 11-seater CBU version introduced. Output-wise, the oil burner offers 202 PS at 3,800 rpm and 441 Nm from 1,750 to 2,750 rpm, and power is sent to the front wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox with paddle shifters.

Exterior kit includes automatic LED headlights, 18-inch Y-spoke two-tone alloy wheels and silver roof rails, while interior bits will include a 12-speaker Bose sound system and a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, with the High spec versions also coming with a 12.3-inch digital instrument display.

Elsewhere, the base model’s equipment specifications reportedly mirrors that of the CBU, and so you’ll find keyless entry, push-button start, eight-way power-adjustable front seats, faux leather upholstery, a Qi wireless charger, a 360-degree camera system, manual sun shades for the sliding door and rearmost side windows and hands-free powered sliding doors and tailgate on the kit list.

The High spec variants adds on dual sunroofs, driver’s side seat memory and front seat heating and ventilation, with the seven-seater adding genuine leather upholstery. Safety-wise, the Carnival range is equipped with seven airbags, stability control, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert and a rear seat reminder (with an ultrasonic sensor to detect occupants at the back).

Also making its way on to the Carnival is the automaker’s Drive Wise suite of active safety features, and items in the driver assistance suite includes autonomous emergency braking (FCA) with junction turning detection, smart cruise control (SCC) blind spot collision avoidance assist (BCA), rear cross-traffic collision avoidance assist (RCCA), lane following assist (LFA), lane keeping assist (LKA), driver attention warning (DAW) and high beam assist (HBA).

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