Only four stars for new Kia Carnival

Kia's all-new Carnival people-mover launches in Australia later this week and when it is crash tested by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) in March it will only achieve a four-star safety rating.

The redesigned eight-seat wagon will not be awarded ANCAP's maximum five-star safety score – now seen as a pre-requisite for new models from most vehicle brands in Australia -- because it's missing seat belt reminders for the outboard seats in the second row.

Despite the impending four-star ANCAP safety rating, Kia Motors Australia CEO Damien Meredith says the company takes safety "very seriously".

"We believe [the Kia Carnival] is incredibly safe and when it is crashed [by ANCAP], which it will be next month, we believe it'll be a very, very high score," he said.

In an ironic twist, the Carnival is a victim of its own success – and the vagaries of ANCAP's recent adoption of Euro NCAP rules.

If the Carnival had been released in Australia last year it would have been awarded ANCAP's maximum five-star rating, but under the revised 2015 regime it will now score just four.

Ironically, Kia had hoped to launch its new Carnival here in December, but demand in other countries led to the Korean factory delaying Australian production to meet increased demand elsewhere.

In contrast, Renault's compact Captur SUV is an example of ANCAP's rule changes working for an importer, not against it. If the Captur had been released here in 2014 it would have been a four-star car, but because it arrived in 2015 it was awarded a five-star ANCAP rating.

Asked if he was disappointed with the result, Kia's local CEO was pragmatic.

"It's not a matter of being disappointed, it's just that we have got to play by the [ANCAP] rules. It is what it is. We've acted quickly with KMC and we'll make the change we need to," he said.

The seat belt sensors in question are not required anywhere else in the world, according to Kia, and Meredith indicated that the sensor will be fitted to the second row seats by August this year – within six months of its launch -- at which point it will be awarded a five-star ANCAP safety rating.

"We abide by the umpire's decision and we'll fix it," said Meredith, who observed that the Carnival won't have to be crash tested again in August.

"No, our understanding is that once we get it crash tested and then make the changes to the middle seats, it will attain five stars."

The new Carnival comes with a full suite of airbags front to rear, electronic stability and traction control, three-point seatbelts for all eight occupants and a host of advanced safety features. Full details on the new people-mover's price and specification structure will be announced on Friday morning.

When asked if he thought the ANCAP rules were confusing for customers, Meredith responded: "It is what it is."

Watch this space for full details and our first review of the new Carnival on Friday.