All-new Carnival dominates Korea’s camping van market

Koreans work hard, but also play hard. Highways nationwide are packed with vehicles from the early morning every weekend in May, nicknamed the “month of family” with Children’s Day and Parents’ Day.

“A surge in family trips is one of the key reasons the highways are jam-packed every weekend, regardless of the season,” an industry watcher said.

With household income increasing and family-oriented lifestyle gaining mainstream, the leisure travel boom has swept Korea over the past few years. Camping is one of the latest trends, as 70 percent of Korea’s land is composed of hills and mountains.

The retail industry estimates that there are around 1,600 campsites across the nation, and around 3 million people camp on the weekend.

The car industry is one sector that pays high attention to the trend, introducing vehicles for leisure activities of families.

Kia Motors, which debuted its all-new Carnival (Sedona in North America) in March as the third generation of its flagship minivan brand, is one of the best performers in the segment.

With room for seven and nine, the 2015 Carnival has come back with bigger storage for family necessities, more safety features and a sleek design.

“When it comes to family movers in Korea, I think Kia’s new Carnival rules the pack,” said Jung Jae-hoon, 36, who enjoys auto camping with his wife and two kids twice a month on average.

The nation’s second carmaker has made efforts to boost the performance of the new Carnival. The diesel-fueled van boasts 276 horsepower and better fuel efficiency than the gasoline-powered model. It has a 3.3-liter V-6 engine with a six-speed gearbox. There is no doubt that the improved performance injects a little fun into daily parents’ duties to transport kids.

The redesigned Carnival has also raised the bar for safety in the minivan segment.

On the top trim, the all-new Carnival offers advanced crash warning systems, including forward collision warning, blind spot detection and rear cross traffic alert.

For drivers who are not used to driving a big vehicle, the lane departure warning system helps them keep to the center of in the lane.

Besides family drivers, the top trim of the all-new Carnival targets high-end customers, including corporate executives and entertainers.

“For those customer groups, for instance, the all-new Carnival’s limousine model provides the first-class lounge seating in the second row,” the company said in a press release.

The price of the diesel-powered model with seven seats ranges from 35.3 million won ($32,400) to 38.9 million won.

By Seo Jee-yeon (jyseo@heraldcorp.com)