Kia Carnival Reveals Exterior Transformations

While there’s a big car show happening in Tokyo for the 2023 Japan Mobility Show, Kia is introducing two important new products this week. A few days after revealing the 2025 K5, they’re now showing us the 2025 Carnival, but only its exterior for now.

The minivan’s headlights and taillights have been redesigned to form a shape similar to the letter “T.” The front grille will have different designs depending on the trim level. There’s also a new “Gravity” grade with dark metallic accents. The front bumper is cleaner now without separate fog lights, and the license plate area at the back is lower on the tailgate.

The back of the 2025 Carnival is smoother, and there’s no visible handle to open the tailgate. The Kia badge is lower on the rear light bar, like the 2025 K5. The lower lights in the rear bumper seem narrower, and the bumper’s metallic trim is extended compared to the older model.

We haven’t seen the interior yet, but it’s expected to have curved screens and fingerprint recognition technology, similar to the updated K5. The most significant change is likely to be under the hood, where the Carnival is expected to get a hybrid powertrain with a 1.6-liter gasoline engine and an electric motor, similar to the Sorento. The exact power output is not known, but in the SUV, it’s about 227 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque.

We should see the full details in the coming weeks. In the United States, the Carnival has already entered the 2024 model year, so this mid-cycle update is expected to be offered as the 2025 model.