A teaser image of the next-generation Kia
Carnival / Sedona has been released by the South Korean car manufacturer prior
to hitting the market later this year. The image depicts the new Carnival in
Korean specification and shows the minivan in a shade of eye-catching red paint
sitting on a set of mammoth wheels with silver spokes. As our own recent
rendering indicated, the fourth-generation model will look dramatically
different than the outgoing model.
Kia has been producing the third-generation
Carnival/Sedona since 2014, so it’s not surprising that the minivan looks at
odds with the company’s current design language. Consequently, significant
alterations have been made for the 2021 model, including the fitment of Kia’s
recognizable ‘tiger-nose’ front grille. The minivan also sports angular new
headlamps with striking daytime running lights.
From the side we can see that the minivan
has fewer soft edges than the current model, adopting straighter lines and
angular edges instead. Kia looks to have hidden the B-pillars behind the side
windows while opting for pronounced C-pillars. The model pictured is also
rocking a set of black roof rails.
It is understood the new Carnival / Sedona
rides on the same platform as the Sorento. If this is the case, it will likely
share its engines with the crossover, including a turbocharged 2.5-liter
four-cylinder pumping out 277 hp and 421 Nm of torque. Another
powertrain that could be offered is a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder
combined with an electric motor and a 1.5 kWh lithium-ion battery pack
producing a combined 227 hp and 350 Nm of torque. Kia may also
offer a plug-in hybrid and a 2.2-liter diesel. Sales will start in Korea in the
third quarter of the year with global markets to follow thereafter.
