Kia’s facelifted Carnival was spotted for the very first time and it looks set to have a design inspired by the upcoming Kia EV9.
The current Carnival is already one of the most striking minivans on sale and this new model is shaping up to be even more intriguing. A heavily-disguised prototype was recently snapped by The Korean Car Blog while sitting in a parking lot in South Korea.
Kia has done a good job of disguising the front end of the new Carnival but we can see that it has headlights somewhat similar in shape to those of the EV9. Whereas the headlights of the current Carnival are fairly traditional in shape with complex LED daytime running lights, the headlights of the new Carnival appear to be positioned vertically, much like the brand’s forthcoming electric SUV. An LED light bar also appears to be visible.
Unfortunately, we don’t yet have any spy shots of the new Kia Carnival from the rear but given how significant the changes made to the front are shaping up to be, we wouldn’t be surprised to see similarly comprehensive changes made to the rear.
Read: Kia Recalls 2022 Carnival After Finding That Sliding Door Can Fly Open While Driving
The facelifted Kia Carnival won’t just bring with it new looks as a hybrid variant is also thought to be in the works. This new variant of the Carnival will likely share its hybrid system with those available in the Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe.
This system consists of a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder producing 177 hp (132 kW) and 195 lb-ft (265 Nm) of torque working alongside a 59 hp (44 kW) electric motor. All up, the powertrain is good for 227 hp (169 kW) and 258 lb-ft (350 Nm) and while it is available with all-wheel drive in the Sorento and Santa Fe, it will apparently only be offered with front-wheel drive in the Carnival Hybrid.
