Kia's new Carens people carrier, which made its world premiere at the Madrid Motor Show last month will go on sale in Europe this year.

The car, which will be available in five-seater and seven-seater versions, will have a choice of 2.0-litre 140 horsepower turbo diesel or 144 horsepower petrol engines. The UK specification and line-up will be confirmed closer to the launch.

Kia says the car has been created specifically with European consumers in mind and has unique styling for the European market.

The maker says the car, which is longer, wider and taller than its predecessor, does not share a single panel with the old model and has a smoother exterior and significantly improved aerodynamics.

Making best use of the longer wheelbase and wider cabin, Kia engineers also created an innovative shallow' fuel tank mounted integrally with the rear suspension subframe, which allowed the rear cabin floor to be lowered by 40 mm, boosting interior space and ensuring that the rear row seats in the seven-seater will accommodate two adults in comfort. In both versions, the middle and/or rear row seats fold down to create a flat-floored luggage area. With five seats occupied, luggage space is more than 400 litres and with just the driver and front passenger on board, up to 2,106 litres of cargo can be carried. Kia is offering European Carens customers a choice of one diesel engine and one petrol engine. Both Carens engines will be available with a four-speed automatic transmission (as an extra-cost option), fitted with Kia's Sport Mode system which offers drivers the choice of fully-automatic gear changes or driver-controlled sequential manual selection. The fully independent suspension systems, both front and rear, are designed to deliver responsive handling and a supple, comfortable ride on European roads.

For agile handling in everyday driving, the new Carens model has a hydraulic power-assisted rack and pinion steering system with relatively high gearing, requiring just 2.86 turns of the wheel from lock-to-lock with the standard 16-inch wheels. Jean-Charles Lievens, senior vice president of Kia Motors Europe, said: "The new Carens will be a bold new challenger for compact MPV honours in the European marketplace, transforming Kia's fortunes in this sector. We anticipate that demand in Europe will be evenly spilt between the seven-seater and five-seater versions, with 65 per cent of buyers ordering diesels and 35 per cent petrol. Last year, Carens sales across Europe totalled almost 17,000 units."