Kia Carens facelift spied testing in South Korea; Indian debut in 2025

Kia has been spotted testing the mid-cycle refresh for the Carens MPV in South Korea. Since it arrived in India in February 2022, the Carens has gained a loyal following among families as an excellent 3-row MPV. The updated car is expected to come to India only next year with a refreshed exterior design and updated cabin.

Kia Carens facelift: Exterior and Interior

Although the spy pictures don't disclose much as the car is camouflaged they do suggest that the Kia Carens facelift will include redesigned front and back ends. We notice a split headlamp design with LED DRLs on top and headlights below, similar to the existing model. One of the most visible changes is the new taillights, which have the same C-shaped LED design as the revised Seltos and the recent Sonet makeover. The 2025 car also appears to have a new set of alloy wheels.

While no spy images have revealed any details about the Carens facelift's interior, we expect the layout to be similar to the existing model, with 6 and 7-seater versions. We may expect a dashboard similar to the Seltos with twin horizontal screens along with amenities like ventilated seats, automatic parking brake, wireless charging, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, air purifier.

Kia Carens facelift: Powertrain

As for the powertrain, we expect the current 3 units to carry on in the updated car. Currently, the Carens diesel comes with either the iMT or a torque converter. With the update, the Carens IMT diesel is set to be replaced by a 6-speed manual gearbox. The IMT is expected to be phased out. The 1.5-litre diesel engine generates 115PS and 250Nm of peak torque.

The MPV is also available with two 1.5-litre petrol engines, one naturally aspirated and the other turbocharged. The engines produce 116PS/250 Nm and 160PS/253 Nm respectively.

Kia Carens EV

Kia has also confirmed that a Carens EV is in the works. The seven-seater MPV, in its electric version, could get a battery pack of 70-90kWh capacity with a range of up to 550-600km. It could support 80-100kW DC charging and up to 11kW AC charging. A single-motor setup is likely to be on the cards.

As a part of its plans for emerging markets, such as India, the Kia Carens is likely to lead the way of its region-specific vehicles. The Carens EV will be one of the 15 EVs Kia will introduce globally by 2027. Although the details about the electric Carens are scarce, we expect the launch to take place in early 2025.

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