KIA to go full throttle in 2020

Manohar Bhat, Head, Sales & Marketing, KIA, talks to TURN OF SPEED about their latest product, the Carnival, their “teething problems” and their plans to enhance customer-satisfaction levels. TOS: Tell us about your latest launch, the Carnival, people have been comparing it to the Toyota Innova? MB: The comparisons are odious. This is a new segment that we have created. The KIA Carnival is not only high end, but it is also longer and wider than any of the existing vehicles today. It is really luxurious and extravagant by design because of the features inside. Look at the fit and finish… just the overall package. Look at the seats, Nappa leather, power operated… and all the variants have power sliding doors, a first in India. The rear tail gate is also power operated. All the variants have an automatic eight-speed transmission and a 2.2 BS-VI diesel engine which is a very powerful engine. The best thing about the vehicle is that it looks big but it is one hell of a vehicle if you’re driving it yourself. Chauffer driven also, it is very comfortable inside, and on rough roads too. We tried it on different terrains and it works very well. Also, there