Don’t call Kia’s forthcoming successor to its minivan a Sedona. And definitely don’t call it a minivan.
The former is the name for Kia’s long-running family minivan. What’s coming next is called the Carnival. And instead of calling it a minivan, Kia says it is an MPV – a multipurpose vehicle. (Fun aside, Mazda formerly did something similar with the Mazda MPV.)
Kia plans to introduce 2022 Carnival next week, and boasts that it will “transcend the mainstream.” Presumably that means minivan rivals like the Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna and best-selling Chrysler Pacifica.
2022 Kia Carnival: What We Know
We’ll know more details about the 2022 Kia Carnival when it debuts Feb. 23, but the automaker has spilled a bit already.
The van…er, MPV, will again feature three rows of seats and can be configured for seven or eight passengers (you get second-row captain’s seats when opting for 7-passenger seating), a 290-horsepower V6 engine, and a slew of safety and driver-assist features.
Kia says the new Carnival MPV will also have class-leading cargo room, a “bold and boxy” exterior appearance in line with the popular Kia Telluride SUV, and features like the brand’s slick Blind-Spot View Monitor, which displays a live digital image in the instrument panel when you engages the turn signal.
Also of note, the Carnival will be the first U.S. vehicle to wear Kia’s new badge.
For now Kia has released the teaser image above of the U.S. model. We’ll see the rest of it and know more details next week.
Update: