Kia Sedona minivan teased and it's looking mighty fine
The Sedona, called the Carnival in other countries, is in for a total overhaul.
Looking good so far.
Hot on the heels of the new Sorento and Optima, we got our first look at the fourth-generation Kia Sedona on Thursday. It's called the Kia Carnival in other countries, but the Korean carmaker doesn't want the US to have the much more fun (and better) name, at least in my opinion.
The looks shown in the teaser photo are pretty much as expected and follow Kia's latest design ethos, with edgy, sleek headlights. The company's tiger nose grille is a big part of the fascia, and the headlights actually flow directly into the grille. Kia designers worked in a "bold character line" that spans the side of the Sedona and links the front and rear together. There's also a chrome fin that runs with the minivan's windows and extends to the rear, though we don't have anything showing off the rear just yet.
The current Sedona's been around since the 2015 model year, though the model goes all the way back to 1998. Kia said its humble minivan has sold 2 million units since its introduction, and today the Sedona is a surprisingly luxurious family hauler. With a fresh design inside and out, the Sedona could be an even better challenger to the trio of top-selling minivans in the US: the Chrysler Pacifica, Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna. The latter recently showed off its redesigned looks, and we learned the Sienna will be offered as a hybrid only going forward.
Kia said the new Sedona will go on sale in South Korea in the third quarter of this year, so we'll likely learn more about the minivan in the near future. Oh, and this isn't a minivan to Kia designers. They prefer the term "grand utility vehicle," but let's stop making "minivan" a dirty word. They're super functional and often far more versatile than a crossover, folks.