Kia Sedona minivan is dead and the Carnival is coming to town, report says
The minivan is in for a name change in the US, according to a new report.
Wheee, it's a Carnival!
I might be in the minority, but I actually believe Carnival is a better name than Sedona for a Kia minivan. According to a new report from Korean Car Blog on Wednesday, the automaker thinks so, too. The blog reported Kia will ditch the Sedona name when it reveals its new minivan for the US, whenever that may be.
We've already seen the new minivan inside and out and learned a lot about the vehicle since it debuted in South Korea much earlier this year, but thus far, Kia hasn't confirmed it will return to the US. The idea of it dying off completely is unlikely, though. Instead, it looks like Kia will take the opportunity for a total rebranding of its surprisingly luxurious people mover. The automaker did not immediately respond to Roadshow's request for comment on the report.
It wouldn't be unprecedented. The brand recently launched the K5 in the US, which was previously known as the Optima. However, the K5 name has always been used in Kia's home country of South Korea. The same goes for the Carnival name. While I personally think the Optima name is far better than more alphanumeric jargon, Carnival has a lot more personality than Sedona. It's also sort of close to "Sorento," a crossover SUV the brand sells alongside its minivan.
When we do finally learn about the vehicle, expect Kia to be shy about calling the Carnival a minivan. Since its debut, the company avoided the language and instead aimed to position it as a grand touring SUV of sorts. Kia, there's nothing wrong with a good minivan, even if the term brings up memories of soccer practice.
