Kia to return to minivan game with all-new Sedona at N.Y. Auto Show
The world of minivans hasn’t had much excitement injected into it in a while, but look to Kia to change that later this month at the New York Auto Show.
The South Korean automaker announced Thursday that it would bring an all-new “midsize multipurpose vehicle” to the show for a world debut on April 16. Don’t let the jargon fool you, this will be the next generation of Kia’s Sedona minivan.
The current Sedona has been around since 2006, and its age has left it at the bottom of a competitive set that includes the Dodge Caravan, Chrysler Town and Country, Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna.
Sales for this Kia dwindled to just 7,000 in 2013, compared with nearly 130,000 for the Honda Odyssey in the same year.
Kia allowed the Sedona to languish because it was focused on bolstering its lineup with other models. The brand has moved into the upper echelons of the car world, first with the full-size Cadenza sedan, and most recently with the high-end K900 luxury sedan.
Now that those projects are complete, Kia is returning to the high-volume minivan segment. Details on the new Sedona are slim, with the automaker saying only that it will offer seating for up to eight people and their gear.
The new model “will challenge the segment,” Kia said in a statement, and will serve “as a purposeful offering for adventure seekers.”
The Sedona will likely roll into dealerships toward the end of this year.
