Kia says European market is still volatile

I WAS lucky enough to be among a group of Irish motor writers Kia took to Monte Carlo for the Pan-European launch of their new Carens people carrier.

I can now tell my grandchildren that I drove on a section of a Grand Prix track as some of the streets of Monte Carlo form part of the famous Monaco Grand Prix.

But in truth I didn’t exactly burn rubber on the tight corners as there were plenty of police on duty, helping schoolchildren across the narrow streets.

It was thought that the motor trade was going to pick up in 2013, but Kia management confirmed in Monte Carlo that the European market is still volatile and it may now be 2015 before we see any growth in the new car market.

In Ireland recovery hopes were pinned on the introduction of two number plates this year, but now it looks like the 132 number plate will not make a significant difference, this year anyway.

The new Carens is available as a five and seven-seater, but in Ireland we will only get a seven-seater version. Naturally the third row is very tight and only suitable for small children. It’s ever so slightly lower and shorter than the previous model. The car I drove in Monte Carlo had an attractive two-tone interior, but the version I drove last week was predominantly black inside.

On the hilly drive from Nice Airport to Monte Carlo my driving colleague struggled a bit in a 1.6 petrol version. We have plenty of hills in Ireland also and thankfully the car is only available in a 1.7 diesel here.

Externally the Carens is very stylish. Inside everything is well laid out and easy to use. The dash is fairly basic and is dominated by the reversing camera which was available in the EX model I drove; if anybody walks by the back of car, their presence is picked up by the sensors. It’s a neat motor and when you apply the central locking the mirrors fold in which makes it even neater.

Kia has done very well since they recruited chief designer Peter Schreyer from Audi. Schreyer said that prior to his arrival Kia motors were very neutral and he introduced the now famous

‘tiger-nose’ grille.

This is how Schreyer described his new

‘baby’:

‘

‘I wanted to give the new Carens a sleeker look and feel, to create a design that envelops its functionality and versatility in something altogether more athletic and dynamic,” he said.

The new Carens is available at a starting price of

?¬26,490 for the TX model. The EX will cost you

?¬27,790, while the top of the range Platinum is

?¬31,790. The Kia Sorento, which I wrote about a few weeks back, is a massive seven-seater. But if you want something smaller with seven seats and a seven-year guarantee I would recommend the Carens.