Kia Carens CNG Launched – Dealer Level Kit Priced At Rs 78k

After launching Carens Clavis and Carens Clavis EV, Kia India Pvt Ltd has turned its gaze at the good ol’ Carens. No, there is no feature upgrade or a new trim level added to Carens’ sole trim hierarchy. Instead, the company has approved a new dealer-level CNG kit that might prove a big boost in sales from fleet operators.

Kia Carens CNG Launched

While Kia India was testing a CNG version of Carens with a Turbo Petrol engine option, there hadn’t been any CNG launches up until now. Kia’s first CNG offering is not a factory fitted unit, but a dealer-level equipment. This CNG kit offered by Kia authorised dealers is Government Approved too, to ensure safety.

Where pricing is concerned, Kia Carens CNG has been priced at Rs 77,900 and the equipment comes from renowned aftermarket CNG kit provider, Lovato. It is offered only with Premium (O) trim level, powered by a 1.5L NA Petrol engine mated to a manual gearbox. It has to be noted that there aren’t any other trim levels on offer, nor gearbox options.

For a hassle-free ownership, there is third-party warranty covering 3 years or 1,00,000 km for Carens CNG by equipment provider, Lovato. It will be fitted in Carens’ boot and will eat into its luggage carrying capacity if all-three rows of seats are up. Other three-row CNG vehicles like Ertiga and XL6 face similar issues.

Who is it for?

While anyone can buy Kia Carens CNG for personal use, one can say that it now makes for a tempting proposition for fleet operators. Even self-employed individuals intending to use a Carens for taxi application, can now benefit from low running costs offered by CNG. Because of its green credentials, Carens CNG will face less restrictions in cities like Delhi NCR.

Currently, Kia Carens is offered in a sole Premium (O) trim with NA Petrol and Turbo Diesel engine options along with a Manual gearbox. There are cost benefits too as buying a Carens Petrol and fitting a dealer-level CNG kit turns out to be Rs 11.77 lakh (Ex-sh), whereas Carens Diesel has been priced at Rs 12.77 lakh (Ex-sh).

Performance metrics and mileage figures of Kia Carens CNG have not been revealed as this is an aftermarket kit. However, one can expect Carens CNG to deliver a mileage figure well above what the NA Petrol variant promises.