Kia's third-generation Carens MPV, due to debut at the Paris motor show on 27 September, looks for all the world like a grown-up cee'd - and, according to Kia CEO Hyoung-Keun Lee, that's intentional.
“This marks a dramatic shift forward for our MPV contender,” he said, “and it in line with Kia's distinctive current design direction.”
Carens 3.0, according to Kia, is all new from the ground up, built on a new, long-wheelbase platform for a cab-forward, seven-seat layout within a Euro-styled, aerodynamic shape.
Aimed at families with an active lifestyle who don't want to compromise between style and practicality, Kia is hoping the more streamlined new Carens will attract a new group of consumers, who would not previously have considered a 'mom's taxi' MPV.
The new Carens will go on sale in Europe in the second quarter of 2013, but Kia SA says no final decisions have yet been made as to whether or when it will be released in South Africa .