Just ahead of its world premiere at the 2012 Paris Motor Show on September 27, Kia has nicked the covers off its all-new Carens MPV.
The new iteration of the Carens, which in its previous form was marketed worldwide under various nameplates, including the Rondo in the United States and Canada up until its demise in 2010, sports a fresh and far more modern design than the model it replaces.
The South Korean carmaker is keeping most details secret until the public unveiling of the car in Paris, but from what we understand, the Carens not only looks like a minivan variant of the Cee’d hatchback but is also based on a modified version of its platform and is likely to share the same engine lineup – at least in Europe.
The first pictures of the interior show that the new Carens gets a unique styling for the dashboard, while Kia revealed that it would be offered in both five and seven seat versions.
“The new Carens builds on the family-friendly versatility and functionality of its predecessor, and features more athletic and visually dynamic design,” says Hyoung-Keun Lee, Vice Chairman and CEO of Kia. “This marks a dramatic shift forward for our MPV contender and brings the model in line with Kia’s distinctive current design direction.”
Kia said that the new Carens will go on sale in Europe next spring adding that it expects to “attract a new group of consumers to Kia showrooms around the world”, without elaborating on which other regions will get the car.
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