Locally-assembled Kia Carnival arriving in Malaysia soon

This will be a luxury version with 7 or 8 seats and more cabin luxury.

 When the previous Kia importer and distributor in Malaysia (Naza Kia) gave up their business, it was a rather disappointing move as Kia Motors arrived in Malaysia about 2 decades ago under Naza Kia and they made the brand a household name with various models. One of the most popular and best-selling Kia vehicles was the Naza Ria which was a rebadged localised Kia Carnival.

 At the time, the Kia Carnival (Naza Ria) was the largest and most luxurious MPV on sale in Malaysia and this was before the arrival of the Toyota Alphard and Nissan ElGrand.

However, even after the initial arrival of the Alphard, the Naza Ria continued to sell very well as its asking price was below RM 99,000 and came with a strong warranty and after sales. 

However, as the years progressed, better built and more luxurious MPV arrived in Malaysia and the Naza Ria sales diminished. There was no new Kia Carnival to be rebadged.

Then in late 2021, Naza Kia gave up the Kia business in Malaysia and a new company took up Kia in Malaysia. Dinamikjaya Motors arrived and in January 2022 they launched the first new Kia model and it was the latest Kia Carnival. It was a 2.2L diesel-powered luxury MPV in an 11-seater configuration (to get a lower import duty). Priced at RM196,340.80 only, this 2-3-3-3 configuration MPV sold fast and was a segment top seller for 5 months. 

Now comes news that Kia Motors is working with Dinamikjaya Motors to launch a locally assembled 7-seater high specification and also an 8-seater high specification, alongside a mid-specification version of this popular MPV very soon.

Scheduled to be launched in July 2022 with an asking price from RM 235,000 for the 7-seater version and RM 265,000 for the 8-seater higher variant, the CKD Kia Carnival will continue to be powered by the 2.2L turbo-diesel engine working with an 8-speed automatic gearbox. It will deliver 199 horsepower and 440 Nm of torque to comfortably move a full load of passengers across Malaysia. 

So why has the selling price moved up by almost RM 66,000 and with less seats? Well, in an 11-seat configuration, the Malaysia vehicle tax system has a lower import duty as this 11-seater is classified as a people mover and not a luxury MPV.

With the locally assembled 7 or 8-seater version, the Kia Carnival gets a higher import duty as it is now a luxury MPV. With its current popularity, the brisk demand will continue despite the higher price as Dinamikjaya Motors will upgrade the equipment in the cabin to keep buyers interested. 

Also read: Upcoming Kia EV6 previewed in Malaysia; to launch before the year end