Kia Carnival

The Kia Carnival is a minivan produced by Kia Motors. It is known in the British Isles and North America as the Kia Sedona. It has a base price starting at around US$20,000, which is lower than most competing minivans. It is available in the United States with a 3.5L DOHC V6 engine producing 195hp SAE (145kW), and many other countries with a 2.9L DOHC turbodiesel, with 144PS (142hp SAE/106kW). A 2.5L V6 is available in some markets. A 5-speed manual transmission is standard for the smaller engines, with a 4-speed automatic transmission available as an optional. A 5-speed automatic is the only transmission in the American market.

In the United States, it is available in a base LX model and a top of the line EX model. Leather upholstery and a power sunroof are available options.

The Sedona/Carnival is rebadged and sold as the Naza Ria in Malaysia. Because of the high negative value attributed to the Kia brand, rebadging becomes a highly value-added activity, and qualifies the car for National Car incentives if done within Malaysia.

The Carnival is produced for the Chinese market by the Dongfeng Yueda Kia Automobile Company, a joint venture with Kia.

First generation (2002-2005)

The Kia Sedona was a new model from Kia to compete with the minivan segment of Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, and the Chrysler minivans. It had a 3.5 L V6 engine making 195 hp. It was mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission. The Sedona lacked features that other minivans had such as power sliding doors and liftgate, a fold flat third row seat navigation system, rear-view camera, and backup sensors. The Sedona also had subpar fuel economy, rated at 15 mpg city and 20 mpg highway, the lowest of any front wheel drive minivan.

In Australia, the Kia Carnival went on sale in 1999, with a standard 5-speed manual and 2.5 L V6 producing 177 hp (132 kW). A 4-speed automatic was optional. In 2001, it managed to outsell the Toyota Tarago, becoming the top-selling minivan in the country. It was sales leader again in 2004 and 2005, when sales peaked at 5,259 units, which in itself was a record for any minivan. Much of its success is due to its low pricing: at A$29,990 it is about $10-$15,000 cheaper than most rivals.