3 Kia models that sell worse than the Carnival minivan

Oh, the minivan. If you grew up in America during the 1980s and 1990s, you probably grew up riding around in a minivan. The minivan changed the family car forever by introducing a type of vehicle designed specifically for families. Old station wagons of the past were just cars with a larger rear end and more seating. Older full-size SUVs and pickup trucks were harder than ever to live with, due to their thirsty engines and pickup truck underpinnings. The minivan gave families the driveability and fuel economy of a typical car with front-wheel drive, wagon seating, and a space small enough to fit inside a garage.

While the age of the minivan may be in the past, there are still a few minivans keeping this American family transportation segment afloat. The Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey and Kia Carnival are strong sellers despite their declining popularity in the minivan market. The Kia Carnival, in particular, is currently outselling three other Kia vehicles in the lineup, with 23,107 units sold so far this year. Here’s everything you need to know about the three Kia cars that outsold the Kia Carnival.

3. Kia Stinger

The Kia Stinger will be discontinued after 2023, according to Car and Driver. Despite the success of the Stinger throughout its journey that began in 2018, Kia is investing heavily in its electric future. For this reason, the Kia EV6 will serve as Kia’s flagship high-performance vehicle. However, that doesn’t mean the Kia Stinger wasn’t a good choice for Kia. It was the brand’s first performance-oriented car that competed with other heavyweight sports sedans from BMW and Audi and performed well.

Due to this discontinuation, the decline in Kia Stinger sales is 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. Go to Rio

The Kia Rio has been a staple of its brand’s lineup. It was a solid subcompact car that cost less than $20,000 with one of the best factory warranties in the world. Unfortunately, the Kia Rio will soon be gone. KBB reports that Kia is selling off remaining inventory as Kia makes room in its lineup for more affordable small SUVs. Due to the Kia Rio’s discontinuation and inventory liquidation, only 16,551 units have been sold so far this year, and that number is bound to decrease as less stock becomes available.

If you’re looking for a cheap car with an excellent manufacturer’s warranty, the Kia Rio may be the perfect car for you, but you’d better move quickly. Merchants sell their remaining inventory; And when they were gone, they were gone forever.

1. Be Nero

The most surprising addition to the Kia Carnival’s list of third-party sellers is the Kia Niro, according to GoodCarBadCar. The Niro is Kia’s attempt to create a car that can use a variety of different drivetrain options. No, we’re not talking about multiple engine displacements as was the case in the past. Instead, the Kia Niro comes in hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and full battery electric variants. This gives Nero extreme versatility. It can be sold as a regular hybrid vehicle in countries or states where there is little support for electric vehicles, and can also be had as a full electric vehicle if the buyer’s local infrastructure supports it.

Despite the Niro’s versatility, it lags in sales compared to the tried-and-true Carnival minivan. As the Niro continues to innovate, it is likely to overtake a lot of competitors, including the Kia Carnival, but for now, the Kia Carnival is showing stronger sales numbers.