The Odyssey may have been dominating the 70mm IMAX screens across the country last month, but on the 144-inch screen that is an interstate highway lane, it was the Kia Carnival that was starting more new voyages. Kia’s minivan nipped the Honda Odyssey for sales in August, though it still trails Honda for the year.
Meanwhile, Toyota’s Sienna dominates like an Avengers film in its second week and the Pacifica remains a mystery.
Carnival Plays Part In Kia’s Best Month Ever
2022 Kia Carnival rear 3/4Kia
Kia set an all-time company record for monthly sales in August, and the Carnival played no small part in that. Sure, the 7,389 units it moved is nowhere close to the 18,723 of the top-selling Sportage, but that figure is 1,000 more Carnivals than Kia sold the same month last year.
It’s also enough to pull Kia ahead of the Honda Odyssey for August. Honda moved 6,945 vans, around 300 more than a year ago.
So far this year, Kia has sold 54,736 minivans, just over 10,000 more than the first eight months of 2025. That’s a great year for the Carnival, even though it hasn’t caught up to Honda’s yearly sales… yet.
The Odyssey was up last month, but it is down 13% on the year. Honda is now just 2,058 sales up on Kia in the minivan race. The Carnival could pass Odyssey as soon as next month if these trends continue.
Will Kia Catch The Two Segment Leaders?
Group photo of three 2027 Chrysler Pacifica America250 vansStellantis
Both vans are well back of the Toyota Sienna and look to stay that way. Some 10,133 people brought home a Toyota minivan last month, 29% more than the same month a year ago. For the full year through the end of August, Toyota has recorded 74,992 sales of the Sienna, 10% more than the same period in 2025.
That leaves one minivan out, and it’s the model that will probably end the year ahead of all others. Of course, we’re talking about the Chrysler Pacifica. Chrysler, being part of Stellantis, only reports its sales quarterly. As such, we don’t have figures for the Pacifica for July or August.
At the halfway point of the year, though, the Pacifica was ahead of the Sienna by more than 10,000 units. It’s too early and there is too little data to know for sure, but Pacifica is unlikely to lose its top spot, especially with a newly refreshed version of the van arriving at dealers.
This entire segment is remarkably fresh, with all brands making frequent small updates to improve the vans. Kia made big steps with the Carnival for model year 2025, while Honda made some much smaller changes the same year. Also in 2025, Toyota added a built-in vacuum and fridge as well as some extra safety features.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
2026 Toyota Sienna XSE from the front three-quarter angle in redToyota
Kia has been hot this year, and so has the minivan segment. Both are gaining in appeal for the same reason: affordability.
Minivans can hold more cargo and passengers than all but the largest body-on-frame SUVs, but they deliver a price more in-line with, and in many cases well under, much smaller three-row crossovers. The lighter, better-packaged vans also return better fuel economy, with Toyota and Kia hybrids helping boost that even more. It’s almost like minivans were designed to be the perfect vehicle for larger families!
Look for the minivan battle to enter its final stretch starting in October, when Q3 sales drop and we finally see where Pacifica lands in this global challenge.
