After its fantastic reception at the Melbourne International Motor Show, Kia's all-new Carnival people mover has been cleared for take-off in Australia. The brilliant V6 is scheduled for market in the third quarter of this year.

"Kia Motors Corporation in Korea is determined to make the Carnival a success in this market and is giving us a high level of support for it," said the general manager of Kia Motors Australia, Mr David Hughes.

"But don't think for a moment that the Carnival is going to be basic transport. Australian buyers are going to be knocked over by the value that Carnival presents. Where previously they could only buy a traditional wagon or a second-hand, or even third-hand people mover, they'll now be able to afford a brand new V6 with loads of room, loads of standard equipment and loads of clever ideas."

Carnival is a generously proportioned seven-seater designed from the ground up for family transport. There is full walk-through from the front bucket seats to the rear (even though the gearshift is conveniently console-mounted), sliding rear doors on each side of the vehicle and extremely flexible rear seating that offers a host of people-versus-cargo options.

The 2.5-litre, 24-valve quad-cam V6, developed jointly with Rover, drives the front wheels of what is unarguably a big vehicle. Carnival has a wheelbase of 2910 mm and is almost five metres long, ensuring great space for both passengers and their luggage.

"Visitors to our stand at the Melbourne Motor Show were quizzed extensively about the vehicle," Mr Hughes said.

"They told us a great deal about how they viewed it and what they thought about pricing and standard equipment, but the one point they wanted to make crystal clear is that they want a people mover they can afford, and they want it now.

"Kia is about to deliver."

Kia Carnival Buyer Survey,
1999 Melbourne International Motor Show

Kia placed a Carnival as centrepiece of its stand at the Melbourne International Motor Show, the first time the vehicle had been seen in Australia. A left-hand drive model in premium specification bound for the Philippines, it carried an electric sunroof, leather upholstery, alloy wheels, swivelling centre seats and dual air conditioning.

Visitors to the Kia stand who were looking to buy a people mover were asked to complete a detailed questionnaire on their impressions of, and thoughts about the display vehicle itself, and of the people mover market. Around 300 people took about 15 minutes to complete the survey.

The completed questionnaires have been processed in detail, with any judged less than serious for any reason (for example, those which nominated a price of $1) being rejected in their entirety.

The major points from the survey are:

Ninety-nine per cent of respondents ranked ride comfort, ease of handling and durability as being either important or very important, with engine power coming in at 94 per cent and fuel economy at 92 per cent.

Asked their impressions of the display vehicle, 89 per cent rated exterior styling as either excellent or very good and 87 per cent gave the same rating to the interior. Seating capacity and interior roominess scored 83 and 82 per cent respectively, with 79 per cent rating seating versatility as either excellent or very good.

The vast majority of respondents - 96 per cent - wanted air conditioning standard. Central locking was asked for by 85 per cent and electric mirrors by 82 per cent. Power windows were only asked for by 59 per cent of respondents while features like alloy wheels and a CD stacker finished bottom of the list with 40 per cent and 36 per cent respectively.

Respondents were asked to nominate a price for the display vehicle, but were asked to ignore its premium features such as leather upholstery, alloy wheels and sunroof.

Eighty-seven per cent answered, with 74 per cent nominating a price between $30,000 and $50,000 and 41 per cent nominating a price above $35,000.

They were then asked their reaction to a price of $32,000, the notional target set for the vehicle by Kia Motors Australia. All but two per cent offered a response, with a whopping 83 per cent rating the price as either very good or excellent. A further 12 per cent rated the price as good.

Respondents were then asked for their individual comments. These are now being reviewed as Australian specification levels and trim are determined.