KIA’s Carens named ‘India’s 2023 Car of the Year’

KIA announced Sunday that its strategic Carens MPV model for India has been named ‘India’s 2023 Car of the Year.’ The award, whose winners are picked by reporters specializing in automobiles, is the most prestigious prize in the automotive sector and plays an important role in consumers’ automobile purchases in India, the automaker said.

The Carens beat the Scorpio and the Grand Vitara from the Indian automakers Mahindra and Maruti Suzuki to receive the honor.

KIA has achieved the milestone for the first time in three years and five months since it entered the Indian market in August 2019. KIA’s EV6 electric vehicle also won the top prize in the green car category as the automaker swept the best prize in two areas.

“KIA is the first brand that has won the top prize in two categories of the three categories in the same year in the history of India’s Car of the Year,” a KIA spokesman said. “We are very pleased that by winning the prize. KIA has earned recognition for its technology and capabilities in the Indian market.”


Jae-Hyeng Kim monami@donga.com