Kia bares 2025 Carnival in US

MANILA: Kia has unveiled the refreshed 2025 Carnival multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) in the United States (US).

Revealed at the ongoing 2024 Chicago Auto Show, the US arm of the South Korean car brand showcased its MPV offering to “reaffirm” the nameplate’s position as a “trailblazer” in the minivan segment.

“The Carnival has been a standout since its introduction, effortlessly blending SUV (sport utility vehicle) aesthetics with the utilitarian functionality of a family vehicle,” Kia America Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President Steve Center stated.

“As a brand that refuses to settle for the status quo, we’ve made impactful updates across styling, performance, and technology, further allowing the Carnival to challenge stereotypes that family vehicles are uninspiring,” he added.

Enhanced exterior

Banking on its SUV-esque appeal, Kia slapped the Carnival with more modern and bolder exterior appointments.

Per the carmaker, the US-spec 2025 Kia Carnival wears a grand and sculptural grille. Its front fascia boasts a chiseled and assertive design, juxtaposed by intricate and high-tech details. Flanking the said grille are cube-like headlamps complemented by the Seoul-headquartered company’s signature amber-colored Star Map daytime running lights.

Its rear end offers a more refined look with smooth surfaces and clean lines. According to Kia, the Carnival’s license plate housing has been repositioned to the lower part of the tailgate for a polished appearance, while the crisp contours of the Star Map taillights give its back end additional depth.

Its would-be owners can opt for a wide and contoured skid plate, which contrasts with the black cladding on the lower rear fascia of the MPV. They can also spec out the Kia Carnival with wheels that measure from 17 to 19 inches. A Carnival Dark Edition will also be made available upon release, which offers darkened exterior elements, including the roof rails, skid plates, C-Pillar garnish, side door garnish, tailgate garnish, exterior side mirror covers, front grille, and wheels.

Modern interior

It’s no secret that cars from the Hyundai-owned brand have been known to have tastefully modern cabins. The same can be said with the 2025 Kia Carnival as the brand revealed that the MPV’s interior offers “a futuristic space designed with simple shapes and three-dimensional effects.”

Greeting the driver is a curved panoramic dual-display that elegantly integrates a 12.3-inch instrument panel with a 12.3-inch infotainment system. In base variants, the Kia Carnival still wows with its standard 4.2-inch instrument cluster and a 12-inch infotainment display screen.

US customers can also get the optional full-color head-up display, which projects information from the cluster and navigation onto the windshield directly in the driver’s line of sight. Also available is a “full-display mirror” that can replace the traditional rear-view mirror with a camera view by simply adjusting the lower tab.

Other notable interior upgrades include built-in lights within the seat belt buckle, seven standard USB type-C ports, two power outlets, and two 115-volt inverters.

The 2025 Kia Carnival also comes with a multi-zone voice recognition feature that can recognize key actions such as opening the windows or adjusting the climate control. Carnival MPVs fitted with the optional VIP Lounge Seat package will be able to activate their seat’s relaxation mode and leg rests via voice command.

New hybrid powertrain

Kia America will be offering the Carnival with a new hybrid powertrain. The setup will be comprised of a 1.6-liter turbo-hybrid engine paired with a 54-kilowatt motor and a six-speed automatic transmission.

The Kia Carnival Hybrid will produce 242 horses with 367.48 Newton-meters (Nm) of torque.

Still available is the 3.5-liter V6 GDI engine and eight-speed automatic transmission combo that makes as much as 287 horsepower with 352.51Nm.

Variants and release date

According to Kia America, the Carnival will be offered in five variants namely LX, LXS, EX, SX, and SX Prestige. The aforementioned hybrid electric vehicle model will be available in four trims, which are LXS, EX, SX, and SX Prestige.

Sale of the 2025 Kia Carnival will commence in the summertime (from June to August) of 2024.

Word of the 2025 Kia Carnival coming to the Philippines is yet to come out. Nevertheless, the Ayala-led local wing of Kia has been keen on bringing in the latest iterations of its offerings with the recent one being the Seltos SX.

On that note, it is highly possible that the refreshed Kia Carnival will reach our shores. Exactly when? Well, your guess is as good as ours.

Photos from Kia America and Kia Global Newsroom

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