Kia Carnival Hybrid confirmed for Australia, due this year

South Korean car giant Kia has beaten Toyota to the launch of a hybrid people mover in Australia, with confirmation a hybrid Kia Carnival is due in local showrooms by the end of this year.

The hybrid was previously off the cards for Australia as it was poised to be produced exclusively in left-hand drive for markets such as the US and South Korea.

Precise arrival timing is yet to be confirmed, however Kia says it is due in the months after regular V6 petrol and turbo-diesel versions of the facelifted Carnival – which is in showrooms by March 2024 – and will be limited by supply.

MORE: 2024 Kia Carnival facelift unveiled, due in Australia in 2024

“Development for a right-hand-drive Carnival Hybrid for Australia has been confirmed, it has been given the green light,” Kia Australia product planning boss Roland Rivero told Drive at the media launch of the facelifted Kia Sorento seven-seater.

“It is a little bit later than the [petrol and diesel variants] – a couple of months later. But you'll see a Carnival Hybrid.”

“Stock will be very, very tight. Extremely tight. And if you are all looking at the Sorento hybrid and plug-in hybrid supply as being pretty poor, it's going to be just as poor, if not worse for the Carnival.

“So logically, if you know you're going to get a very limited supply, you wouldn't be looking at four trim variants.”

It means the hybrid option is likely to be limited to the top-of-the-range Kia Carnival Platinum, which in pre-facelift form is already priced from $71,890 drive-away with a diesel engine. The hybrid is likely to be more expensive.

The hybrid is already on sale in South Korea, where it pairs a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine with an electric motor. While the same system in the Kia Sorento offers front- or all-wheel drive, the Carnival Hybrid is front-wheel-drive only.

As with other recent Kia debuts, the updated Carnival will adopt the car maker's newest design language, plus the latest ccNC infotainment software, with Kia Connect app-based connectivity and dual 12.3-inch screens together inside a singular curved panel on flagship models.

Final specifications and pricing for the facelifted Kia Carnival will be revealed closer to the model’s launch.