Kia unveils 2022 Carnival as new SUV-inspired minivan with VIP lounge seating

Kia Motors is changing its Sedona minivan with a brand new SUV-inspired mannequin referred to as the Carnival starting within the second quarter of this 12 months.

The 2022 Carnival “multi-purpose car,” also called a minivan, includes a boxy exterior, massive entrance grille and an total design that appears extra daring and rugged than the outgoing mannequin. It options new entrance and rear signature lighting in addition to Kia’s new emblem, which was introduced earlier this 12 months.

The car, which was unveiled Tuesday, includes a host of recent security options in addition to new sliding configurations for the second-row seating and an accessible “VIP Lounge Seating” with energy controls and leg extensions very similar to a standard reclining chair.

 “The Kia Carnival is right here to disrupt a staid section and proves as soon as once more what is feasible when conventions are shattered,” Kia Motors North America CEO Sean Yoon stated in a launch.

The drastic design change is the newest for the minivan section as automakers try and compete in opposition to crossovers and SUVs — segments prospects have been flocking to for his or her house, functionality and extra rugged persona.

After many years of progress and minivans accounting for about 8% of the U.S. light-duty car market, gross sales within the mid-Nineties to 2000, gross sales have nose-dived to lower than 400,000 items lately. A lot of the section’s decline is attributed to the rise of crossovers and SUVs in addition to a stigma of the automobiles being uncool and for “soccer mothers.”

Gross sales of the Sedona declined about 70% between 2016 and 2020 to solely 13,190 automobiles bought within the U.S.