The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recognized eight Kia vehicles tied for second-most in the industry on its 2022 Top Safety Pick(TSP) and Top Safety Pick+ (TSP+) awards lists. The Kia Telluride, Sorento, Seltos, Carnival built after March 2021, Sportage, and Soul, all received TSP awards. The Kia K5 and Stinger sedans qualified as TSP+ winners. All 2022 TSP winners earned “Good” ratings in six crashworthiness tests.
Official statement
“As the Kia brand makes a momentous shift toward electrification with our next generation of vehicles, passenger safety remains a top priority,” said Sean Yoon, president, and CEO of Kia America, Kia North America. “These eight TOP SAFETY PICK and TOP SAFETY PICK+ accolades from IIHS are the direct results of our commitment to delivering the highest standards for crash readiness, structural integrity, and available safety systems for our customers.”
Kia India: Recent launches
Kia recently launched its fourth offering for India, the Carens at ₹8.99 lakh. Carens is a brand-new model with the newest of Kia’s design philosophy. It is called the ‘Opposites United’ and this offers an amalgamated look of an SUV and an MPV. These design cues are new even for Korean manufacturers. It measures 4,540mm in length, 1,800mm in width, and 1,708mm in height.
It has a class-leading wheelbase of 2780mm. The spacious cabin gets 64-colour ambient lighting, a skylight sunroof, and a Bose sound system with 8 speakers. It gets Paddle shifters, smartphone wireless charging, automatic headlights, Rain sensing wipers, and Front-Parking Sensors. In terms of practicality, we get under-seat storage with a sliding tray, retractable cup-holders, large side door bins, two-tier storage inside the front armrest, folding armrest for the 2nd row.
The Carens is offered with three powertrain options. The entry-level variants get a 1.5-liter four-cylinder, naturally aspirated petrol engine that puts out 115HP and 144 Nm of torque. This unit is coupled with a 6-speed manual transmission. It gets a certified fuel economy of 15.7 km/l. The diesel engine is the familiar 1.5-liter unit that puts out 115HP and 250Nm. This unit is coupled with a 6-Speed MT or a 6-Speed AT. The most powerful offering is a 1.4-liter four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that puts out 140HP and 242 Nm of torque. This unit comes mated to a 6-Speed manual or a 7-Speed DCT.