Kia has confirmed it will launch the third-generation Kia Carens at the Paris motor show in September. The bold new model, previewed here in these early design sketches, is much more dramatic to look at than its two dowdy predecessors.
The current Magentis-based Carens has been on sale in the UK since 2006. The new model’s expected arrival in the UK in March 2013 will leave the Sedona as the only ‘old’ Kia on sale.
As with the current car, the new Carens will be offered with both five and seven-seat configurations. The engine range is less clear at this stage, but expect it to mirror the line-up of the new Cee’d closely, including 1.4 and 1.6-litre petrols and diesels.
The design sketches give the impression the Carens will effectively be a scaled-up version of the Cee’d, particularly at the front-end. Under Kia’s design chief Peter Schreyer, the new Carens has been designed around a “dynamic space" theme.
It gets a much lower roofline than the current car, alongside a sleek profile and glasshouse, strong beltine, sculpted sides and large alloys.
