2022 Kia Sedona minivan to be renamed Kia Carnival

Kia’s Carnival is coming to North American towns, and it’s bringing the party known as the Kia Sedona minivan. The 2022 Kia Carnival will replace the Sedona minivan in name, following the global name Kia has used almost everywhere else except in North America and a few other countries, MotorTrend reported Thursday. 

Kia Motors America is keeping a lid on this Carnival, however.

“KMA has made no official announcement regarding this vehicle and can’t comment on potential new products,” Kia spokesperson James Hope said via email.

Despite the standard line, the Kia name change has been registered with the U.S. government. On fueleconomy.gov, run by the U.S. Department of Energy to show the fuel economy ratings and vehicle size class for every passenger vehicle sold in the U.S., the 2022 Kia Carnival betrays specs that have been hidden from view since Kia revealed the redesigned minivan in its home of South Korea in June, 2020. 

The front-wheel drive minivan is powered by a 3.5-liter V-6 with an 8-speed automatic, according to the filing. That seems odd, however, since that engine had been shelved years ago in many Hyundai and Kia models in favor of more efficient turbo-4s and a 3.3-liter V-6. The EPA rating for the 2022 Carnival is an unimpressive 19 mpg city, 26 highway, 22 combined. 

The 2021 Sedona uses a 3.3-liter V-6 that makes 276 hp that was also used in the 2020 Kia Sorento three-row crossover SUV until it was redesigned for this year. Now, in the new, similarly sized 2021 Kia Sorento, a turbo-4 replaced the V-6 and there is a hybrid option. The larger 2021 Kia Telluride uses a 291-hp 3.8-liter V-6.

What is certain is that Kia has been streamlining different names into different markets under one global name. The 2020 Kia Optima mid-size sedan was redesigned as the 2021 Kia K5, as it’s called globally. The Optima name, like Sedona, is no longer. But the Kia minivan reportedly rolls on, and it’s a Carnival.