The new Kia Carnival is about to have a hybrid version, running without fuel

The new Kia Carnival is “sold out” in many areas with queues up to 12 months – Photo: JD Power

The fuel-efficient hybrid version of the new Kia Carnival has been spotted and tested publicly in South Korea, with a rumored launch date of late this year or early 2023.

The experimental Kia Carnival is said to be a hybrid version with a similar design and configuration launched last year – Photo: ShortsCar

In some images recorded by ShortsCar, the Kia Carnival hybrid version in general has no difference in design compared to the regular version. There are no stickers on the windshield that indicate this, the absence of a charging port (at least the left side of the car where we can see it) also suggests the possibility that the hybrid version of the Kia Carnival, if any, is likely not. is a rechargeable hybrid.

The left side of the car does not have a charging port – Photo: ShortsCar

The difference between the experimental Kia Carnival and the complete version we see on the market comes only from the single exhaust system located in the same position as the exhaust on the Kia Sorento Hybrid.

According to the Korean Car Blog, the Kia Carnival hybrid will be launched in Korea next year, most likely at the same time as the launch of the large Kia EV9 flagship SUV as well as the period when the Stinger is discontinued, to yield output / power case for new car.

The single exhaust pipe is placed to the right on the experimental Kia Carnival – Photo: ShortsCar

The most likely powertrain for the Kia Carnival hybrid is the Sorento Hybrid, which combines a 1.6-liter turbocharged petrol engine with an electric motor for a total of 227 hp. The powertrain is said to be only front-wheel drive, because the rear axle does not support the powertrain located here (the upper floor structure is similar to the situation of the current Carnival diesel version).

Some time ago, there were rumors in Korea that Kia Carnival had an all-electric version in development, but now we have not seen any evidence or images to confirm the project.