Soooo... I have a question.
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I know it's been a while since I've actually posted about cars for a while, but I'm confused. Why is Kia changing the name of the Sedona in the US to Carnival for the new generation?
For those that didn't already know, the Sedona was always known as the Carnival in some markets. So it's not like this is a new thing, necessarily. I just don't get why they're changing it now.
I'm glad they aren't giving up on the minivan, honestly. I hope minivans don't go away.
2013 RAM 1500, 4WD, V8, Auto
2022 Kia Soul EX, CVT -
@fhrblig If I had to guess, Kia wants American consumers to think of the Carnival as a different vehicle from the Sedona. The 2021 Carnival is designed to be a more upscale vehicle than the Sedona it replaces. Too many buyers see the Sedona as a bland minivan that's been around for a while. Giving it a new name is an attempt to give it new life in the American market.
Maybe Kia is looking at the Dodge Caravan becoming the Chrysler Pacifica.
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@roadkilled I don't know if 'Carnival' rings upscale to me, TBH. I also don't think the name change would put me off either, so I guess it doesn't matter. It just seems a little weird.
2013 RAM 1500, 4WD, V8, Auto
2022 Kia Soul EX, CVT -
@fhrblig Because Carnival is the name they've historically called it pretty much anywhere else. If anything, the question is why did Kia waste the money to rebadge it as the Sedona here in the first place...?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kia_Carnival -
@fhrblig Sedona has always been a bit of a carnival for us native Arizonans.
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@roadkilled said in Soooo... I have a question.:
Carnival as a different vehicle from the Sedona.
The Carnival IS the Sedona...always has been. Carnival was just the name for it that they used moreso globally, they only called it the Sedona here and in a few other markets.
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@fhrblig I think about how the Optima suddenly became the K5 in America for 2021. That’s the international name, but it’s a weird switch considering the Optima name is 20 years old.
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@fhrblig Here is my weird and twisted logic on the name.
"Carnival" is a word derived from "carne" for meat. Carnival is the last celebration you get to have before sacrificing meat and other pleasures for Lent. Carnival is a few days of partying before 40 days of atoning.
The Kia Carnival fits into that model. You get the minivan and you have a short period of celebration. You get to enjoy the new car smell, the clean interior and the dent free exterior. Then for the next 18 years you get to suffer the sounds of toys rolling around in the back, the smell of rotting food your kids dropped under the seats, and the dings the kids leave when the bump into the van with their bikes.
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@roadkilled My wife and I skipped this concept by getting a minivan to transport our dogs.
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@roadkilled Hot take: I'd gladly take a Carnival over the turd that is our Sienna.
2001 Honda Civic
2008 Toyota Sienna -
@fhrblig I think Kia is trying to internationalize their lineup, like how the Optima became the K5. We'll likely see more models switch over the next few years.
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I think Kia is still trying to shed their reputation for cheap cars (the bad kind of cheap). Their current lineup is excellent, so they're introducing new names and a new logo to distance themselves from their cheap car past.
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@hike That makes sense, since I don't really see what the advantage is in aligning names across different markets like that (not like they're going to use foreign market sales materials and commercials in the US or vice versa, and not like consumers are going to get confused and walk away because a car is called one thing in the United States and something else in South Korea, would be different if you were talking about having separate names in two very close markets, like when Buick called the LaCrosse the Allure in Canada). They want a fresh image in the US, and are replacing all their model names to do that. Still, customers have followed them through all the improvements they've made over the years, they've already shed a lot of the old cheap car image even with the same model names, doesn't seem like it was holding them back all that much.
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@fhrblig said in Soooo... I have a question.:
Why is Kia changing the name of the Sedona in the US to Carnival for the new generation?
Simply because everywhere else IS a Carnival but Sedona is no fun at all?
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@fhrblig They are secretly calling all who buy it clowns.
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@trumpybear Yeah, you'd think they would stick with Optima. I really get annoyed when companies abandon brand names that have a lot of equity built up just for the sake of change.
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@baconsandwich I never did like the Sienna. I'd take a Pacifica over a Sienna in a heartbeat.
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@longtime-lurker God, I really hope they don't go to that soulless alphanumeric bullshit.
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@hike I guess, but Carnival doesn't really feel all that inspiring of a name to me.
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@fhrblig I still stand by my belief that the Fusion name should’ve never existed, and the 2006 launch (and releases thereafter) should’ve been the Taurus.
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@trumpybear When they were going to name that car the 'Futura', I really liked it. But then Pep Boys put a stop to that because they own the trademark for their Futura tires. I have always hated the name Fusion for that car. It's just a mid-size sedan! It's not a fusion of ANYTHING. Now the Euro-market Fusion, that at least kind of made sense because it was a blend of hatchback and people-mover.
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@fhrblig Is it just me who's childless, but would still rock one of these on the basis that it's kind of a really big station wagon?
1988 Volvo 240GL (ran when parked)
I stand with Ukraine. 🇺🇦
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@streetsofperth You're talking to a guy who once bought a SWB Dodge Caravan when he was single with no kids, so no, you're not alone.
2013 RAM 1500, 4WD, V8, Auto
2022 Kia Soul EX, CVT -
@fhrblig Good to know. A mate of mine is single, no kids and has a small dog and drives a Toyota Kluger (Highlander). His rationale is that it can carry loads of stuff or people and in a pinch he can sleep in it.
1988 Volvo 240GL (ran when parked)
I stand with Ukraine. 🇺🇦
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@streetsofperth My neighbor has a wheelchair-converted Caravan and I can't figure out why. No one in his household uses a wheelchair. Then I thought maybe he uses it for work, like an Uber or Lift for the disabled, but he has beaten that thing to HELL. Right now it's leaking fluids copiously and the right front wheel looks like it lost a battle with a curb. Badly. Its camber is all messed up.
