3 Kia Models With Worse Sales Than the Carnival Minivan
Oh, the minivan. If you grew up in America during the 1980s and the 1990s, chances are, you grew up riding around in a minivan. The minivan changed the family vehicle forever by introducing a type of vehicle tailor-made for families. The old station wagons of the past were just cars with a larger back end, and more seats stapled on. The old full-size SUVs and vans of the past were even harder to live with, with their thirsty engines and pickup truck underpinnings. The minivan gave families the drivability and fuel economy of a typical front-wheel drive car, the seating of a wagon, and a footprint that was small enough to fit inside a garage.
While the age of the minivan may be in the past, there are still a few minivans around that are keeping this American family hauler segment alive. The Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, and the Kia Carnival are all strong sellers despite their popularity falling in the minivan marketplace. The Kia Carnival, in particular, is currently outselling only three other Kia vehicles in the lineup, with 23,107 units sold so far this year. Here is everything you need to know about the three Kia vehicles that are being outsold by the Kia Carnival.
3. Kia Stinger
The Kia Stinger will be discontinued after the 2023 model year, according to Car and Driver. Despite the Stinger’s success throughout its run that started during the 2018 model year, Kia is heavily investing in their electrified future. For this reason, the Kia EV6 will be taking over as Kia’s flagship performance car. However, this isn’t to say that the Kia Stinger wasn’t a good choice for Kia. It was the brand’s first performance-oriented vehicle that went toe to toe with other heavyweight sport sedans from BMW and Audi and performed well.
Due to this discontinuation, the Kia Stinger’s low sales are simply due to dealers selling off their remaining inventory of 2023 models. Only 5,018 models have been sold so far this year, an 11.59% decrease from last year’s sales numbers.
2. Kia Rio
The Kia Rio was a staple in its brand’s lineup. It was a solid subcompact car that cost under $20,000 with one of the world’s best factory warranties. Unfortunately, the Kia Rio is soon to be no more. KBB reports that Kia is selling off the remaining inventory as Kia makes room in its lineup for more small, affordable crossover SUVs. Due to Kia Rio’s discontinuation and inventory liquidation, only 16,551 units have been sold so far this year, and this number is bound to drop as less inventory is available.
If you are looking for a cheap vehicle with an excellent factory warranty, the Kia Rio may be the perfect car for you, but you better move fast. Dealers are selling their remaining inventory; when they are gone, they are gone for good.
1. Kia Niro
The most surprising addition to this list of Kia Carnival outsellers would be the Kia Niro, according to GoodCarBadCar. The Niro is Kia’s attempt to create a vehicle that can use a variety of different drivetrain options. No, we aren’t talking about multiple engine displacements like in the past. Instead, the Kia Niro comes in hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and full battery-electric formats. This gives the Niro extreme versatility. It can be sold as a plain hybrid in countries or states with little EV support, and it can also be had as a full EV if a buyer’s local infrastructure supports it.
Despite the Niro’s versatility, it is falling behind in sales compared to the tried and true Carnival minivan. As the Niro continues to innovate, it will likely soar past much of the competition, including the Kia Carnival, but for now, the Kia Carnival is showing stronger sales numbers.
