2021 Kia Carnival MPV: First official images released ahead of launch

Kia Motors has revealed the first images of the new Kia Carnival MPV, the fourth generation of the brand’s flagship minivan. Released in Korean specification, the new Kia Carnival – sold in many markets worldwide as the Kia Sedona – is dubbed a 'Grand Utility Vehicle'.

The new Carnival features a shorter front overhang, with the base of the A-pillar moved backwards to create a longer hood. Its increased wheelbase also contributes to greater space throughout the cabin, while giving the car a longer, slightly more athletic silhouette. The result is a side profile that reveals the Carnival’s more dynamic DNA.

This is emphasised by a bold character line which runs along the length of the car, linking the front and rear lamps. Beneath this clear line, the Carnival features a more prominent sense of volume to its bodywork, with bold wheel arches and sharp lines along the body giving it a more sculpted appearance.

The new model features a unique ‘island roof’ design, with blacked-out A- and B-pillars supporting the body-coloured roof. From the side, one of the new car’s stand-out features is an eye-catching new C-pillar signature design, inspired by that of the new Sorento. The chrome fin, which wraps beneath the tapered rear windows and extends towards the tailgate, is finished with a subtle diamond pattern that is also reflected throughout the inside of the car.

The Carnival features a new ‘tiger face’ which extends across the width of the vehicle. This confident, more futuristic face seamlessly integrates lamps with Kia’s iconic ‘tiger-nose’ grille. Kia’s designers have dubbed this ‘symphonic architecture’, with the design of the front bringing together a range of detailed, technical features to create a sense of harmony and structural energy. The grille and lamps are defined by their high-tech, high-precision details, with chrome trim above the grille and forming its own character line around the face of the car. The castellated edge of the upper grille is paired with perpendicular creases which extend straight up the hood, creating a more purposeful look when viewed head-on.

The Carnival’s headlamps and LED daytime running lights (DRLs) form a unique light signature. The high-beam lamps are integrated into the corner of the tiger-nose grille, with the low-beam lamps sitting separately, at the outer edges of the front of the car. Between them, the DRLs wrap around the Carnival’s turn signal lamps, then plunge downwards, merging with the grille’s lower chrome border.

Beneath, the sculpted bumpers and lower air intake are matched with metallic trim and a black lower bumper, presenting the Carnival’s robust, SUV-inspired appearance.

At the rear, the Carnival boasts a wide, distinctive new design.

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At the rear, the Carnival boasts a wide, distinctive new design.

At the rear, the Carnival boasts a wide, distinctive new design which uses full-width lines to emphasise the car’s sense of solidity. These lines include the sleek combination lamps, which echo the same details as the DRLs at the front of the car, integrated into a full-width light. The light bar connects visually to a sharp, sculpted line which extends downwards and wraps around the license plate.

Above the light bar is a chrome line, which started at the base of the new signature C-pillar and wraps around the base of the rear screen. Beneath the light bar, highlight lines extend across the tailgate to raise the visual centre of gravity of the rear of the car.

Further enhancing its SUV-inspired design, the Carnival is finished off with a metallic lower skid plate, elevating the car further and giving it a more robust appearance.

The new Kia Carnival is due on-sale in Korea, Kia’s domestic market, later in the third quarter of 2020, with global sales in many of Kia’s markets to follow thereafter.