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Kia Australia has axed two diesel Carnival grades, and the Picanto GT-Line manual, citing low customer uptake.
Kia Australia has swung an axe at some versions of its popular Carnival and Picanto models, citing low customer uptake for the deleted grades.
Sport and GT-Line Lite diesel-only grades have been deleted from the 2027 Kia Carnival range, leaving S, Sport+ and GT-Line versions across diesel and hybrid.
The latest change is further reduction of the Carnival line-up in Australia, after its long-running petrol V6 engine was axed at the start of this year, to help Kia align with Australia’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES).
Meanwhile, the Picanto GT-Line hatchback will not be offered with a manual transmission for Model Year 2027 (MY27), now available in automatic only.
The entry-level Picanto Sport continues to offer a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic, starting from an unchanged $19,190 before on-road costs for the former.
"These models have been discontinued due to trim rationalisation [and] low uptake," a Kia Australia spokesperson told Drive.
Pricing for carryover 2027 Kia Carnival grades has increased between $200 and $260, now starting from $54,560 before on-road costs for the S diesel.
According to Redbook specifications, the MY27 Carnival S gains a leather-wrapped steering wheel and a surround-view camera, but this has yet to be confirmed.
Kia Australia has yet to publish an official specification list for the 2027 Carnival and Picanto.
The company has also confirmed it is currently undertaking a review to determine the local future of certain Sportage grades but said they have not been discontinued yet.
Potentially next to receive the axe in Australia are non-hybrid petrol versions of the Sportage – a 2.0-litre four-cylinder in the S, SX and SX+, and a 1.6-litre turbo in the SX+ and GT-Line.
Entry-level 2.0-litre diesel Sportage grades – the S and SX – are also currently under review in Australia.
Sportage Hybrid grades are unaffected by the review, while the SX+ and GT-Line diesels are safe – at least until the launch of the next-generation model expected in 2027 or 2028, which is likely to focus on hybrid and plug-in hybrid globally.
The Sportage Hybrid range expanded in Australia earlier this year with the S HEV (hybrid electric vehicle) entry grade in front- or all-wheel-drive configurations.
It follows the launch of additional Carnival Hybrid, Sorento Hybrid and Sorento Plug-In Hybrid grades in Australia in 2025, along with all-wheel-drive versions of the Sportage Hybrid.
2027 Kia Carnival price in Australia
2027 Kia Picanto price in Australia
Note: All prices above exclude on-road costs.
Jordan is a motoring journalist based in Melbourne with a lifelong passion for cars. He has been surrounded by classic Fords and Holdens, brand-new cars, and everything in between from birth, with his parents’ owning an automotive workshop in regional Victoria. Jordan started writing about cars in 2021, and joined the Drive team in 2024.
