No hybrid, 4WD for 2022 Kia Carnival/Kia Sedona – Report

Hybrid minivans in the United States have no competition from Korea yet, as a Kia Carnival Hybrid is not planned for the Sedona successor’s range. The Toyota Sienna is hybrid as standard, while the Chrysler Pacifica range offers hybrid as an option.

Available in LX, LX w/Seating Package, EX, SX, and SX Prestige trims, the 2022 Kia Carnival costs USD 32,100 onwards. In Canada, customers have five trim options (LX, LX+, EX, EX+, and SX), and the prices start at CAD 34,495. Common to these markets is a conventional 3.5-liter naturally aspirated direct-injection V6 gasoline engine that generates 290 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. A standard 8-speed automatic transmission transfers drive to the front wheels.

Video Source: YouTube/Car Confections

On the Kia Carnival Hybrid & Kia Carnival 4WD model

Last year, South Korean auto portal Autocast dropped big news on the mechanical aspect of the next-generation Kia Carnival. The website published that Kia will not offer a 4WD or hybrid powertrain on its flagship minivan. These features were anticipated by the media seeing what products like the Toyota Sienna are doing for future-readiness and Hyundai Motor Group’s electrification drive of offering new hybrid and plug-in hybrid models in the way to its target of 44 electrified models by 2025.

As per Autocast, a Kia Motors official said in June 2020 (the best Korean translation available) –

Hybrid powertrains and four-wheel drive are not applicable to the fourth-generation Carnival. Carnival is structurally unsuitable for four-wheel drive, such as the lowest ground level (ground clearance), which is lower than the SUV, and the seat that fits completely flat on the floor.

Autocast also talked about the interior and said that it emphasizes on a luxurious feel in materials and design. The instrument panel has analog and digital type instruments. A digital cluster is applied to the upper trim, and an infotainment screen is connected for a singular design. The top-end ‘Limousine’ variant of the new Carnival, says the site, is aimed at the luxury sedan market with a four-seater interior configuration, although it’s not yet offered in USA and Canada.

Deliveries of the 2022 Kia Carnival begin in the USA and Canada in the second quarter (April-June) and spring (mid-March to mid-June), respectively.

Featured Image Source: Kia