In 2021, the Kia Sedona minivan is entering its final year in its current form. The automaker confirmed some time ago that a new generation is on the way for 2022 .
Th at next-generation model is making its debut this year in South Korea and, as has been the case since 1998, it will be called Kia Carnival. Until now, we had no reason to believe that its name would change here, but according to documents that have come to lights, it may well be that North America too will get the Carnival name on Kia’s minivan, bringing uniformity to the model around the world.
The documents come from the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), the U.S. equivalent of Transport Canada, and they confirm that the next Sedona will in fact take the Carnival name for the American market when the next generation launches.
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It would be easy to jump to conclusions and assume that the minivan offered in Canada will follow suit. Easy but possibly wrong. Think of the Nissan Qashqai, which is called Rogue Sport in the United States, or the Mitsubishi RVR, known as Outlander Sport south of the border. Confirmation for our market will have to come from sure sources, in other words, not from assumptions.
More information regarding the 2022 Carnival minivan will be coming our way in the coming months, at which time Kia may confirm the renaming of the model. Meantime we’re also keeping an eye on what kind of powertrain the minivan will get, because recall that most of its competitors in the segment have been revised and updated recently, and two now offer electric powertrains.
Stay tuned.