Kia Carnival 2006 News

THE first Kia aimed at the best cars in Europe might miss the mark in Australia. As yet, there is no plan to bring the new model, codenamed ED (for European Design), Down Under.It has already been overwhelmed by existing product plans at Kia Motor Australia, which is more worried about introducing the new Magentis, a short-wheelbase Carnival people mover, and an updated Cerato.The ED would probably compete with the Cerato if it came here."The ED is not under active investigation at the moment because there are other priorities. We have to get a vehicle here to evaluate and check the likely pricing," Australian Kia spokesman Jonathon Fletcher says."We haven't yet decided on anything. Because it's been designed for Europe and will be built in an Eastern European plant, left-hand drive is their main focus. After that, right-hand drive for Britain comes next."Beyond that, it comes down to production capacity and how and where it might fit into our range in Australia."The ED has just been previewed in Britain and will be launched in September at the Paris Motor Show. It was designed in Europe and Kia describes the approach as "tough not rough".It is a five-door hatch available with four engines, from a 1.4-litre petrol and 1.6-litre diesel to a 2.0-litre petrol powerplant.The car will be built at Kia's new factory at Zilina in Slovakia, where production will grow to include a three-door hatch and a station wagon next year.Kia is part of the Hyundai-Kia group, but there is no indication yet of any product-sharing on the ED program.H YUNDAI'S own plans to begin carmak ing in Europe have stalled in the wake of corruption action against company chiefs at home in South Korea.But Kia is proud of the new hero car and confident it will do well if it comes to Australia."It's all new from the ground up. It looks good," Fletcher says."Of course, nobody here has driven any kind of version of it. But if it has been designed to compete with the Volkswagen Golf and Opel Astra in Europe, it won't have been designed to do worse than them."While the ED simmers on the back burner, Kia is turning up the heat on other new-model plans for Australia. It has been battling to get close to sales targets that were set when it became a full factory operation earlier this year and Fletcher says a new wave of cars will help."Magentis is obviously the priority at present. It's coming up at the beginning of August," he says. "And we have the short-wheelbase version of the Carnival, which is more of a family wagon. Then there are facelifts of Sorento, which will be pushed out to the end of the year, and Cerato."

The South Korean company is the category leader with its Carnival, which is just about to become a two-model run with a shorter version of its latest Grand Carnival, and can see a potential place for the smaller Carens. It has just been renewed, with Europe as the target because high-roofed family wagons are doing well there. The second-generation Carens has an all-new body, a range of engines - 2.0, 2.4 and 2.7-litre petrol, and 2.0-litre turbodiesel - and will be built with either five or seven seats. Kia has even given a choice of names, because the Carens will be called Rondo in North America. It was previewed last week in Spain at the Madrid Motor Show, reflecting the European emphasis, though it could work in Australia under the new factory-owned operation at Kia Motors Australia. "We're still looking and still thinking. It was only released last week and we have yet to see it in the metal," Kia Motors spokesman Jonathon Fletcher says. "We obviously need to understand where it could fit in the Australian market and if we could bring it at a price that is suitable. And if there is sufficient demand." He says Kia can see the potential in Australia for people movers thanks to its ongoing success with the Carnival. "We obviously have the market-leading vehicle in the Carnival, and that's now extended to the Grand Carnival," Fletcher says. "A short-wheelbase model is coming later this year so we need to be mindful of the market sector we're talking to." But one thing is certain, the Carens would not compete with the Carnival. "If we took it then it wouldn't come as a seven-seater. So we need to know if it will fit into the small-wagon market, or somewhere else. And also the competitors and if the price benefit will stand up." The new Carens is longer, wider and taller than the previous model and has a new body. Kia also says it has been designed as much as a crossover vehicle as a people mover. Though Carens is still a question market, it would probably come with a diesel engine because Kia is joining the push into diesel power in Australia. "We're obviously looking at a diesel Sportage and Sorento and we'd very much like to bring them, possibly later in the year. So when we're evaluating Carens we'll look at petrol and diesel," Fletcher says.

2005 saw another record year for vehicle sales in Australia with 608,000 passenger cars being sold. While there has been an overall increase in sales, there has been a change in the types of cars people are buying. There has been a shift away from large cars with sales down by 15.7% and a move toward small cars, with an increase of 18.6% over the previous year. There was also an increase in the SUV/4WD market of 4.2%.Although high fuel prices are a contributor to the move towards smaller cars, Melissa Pye, Managing Director of W Communications Group believes that it is the influence of women that is driving these changes."Women buy just as many cars as men, but have the power of veto in about 80% of cases. The shift away from traditional large family cars and station wagons to SUVs is a testament to this. Women are looking for the safety and functionality that SUVs offer in a more contemporary design. Look no further than the Ford Territory which is extremely popular with women with sales increasing by a staggering 72% over the previous year" said MelissaOther models that were class leaders include Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Getz, Kia Carnival and Toyota Prado, all popular with women.Mazda experienced an increase in market share and was the 4th highest selling passenger brand in Australia. "Mazda has appeal to both men and women. They have a marketing formula that is working very well at the moment. Great looking products with features that appeal to both men and women, competitive pricing and advertising that empowers women, without disempowering men!" says Melissa.