Kia plans a new-generation Sorento, an all-new Carnival and an updated Tasman range in 2028, according to official company documents leaked in South Korea. The same document outlines an all-new electric SUV, the Kia EV7, as part of a wider model rollout tied to the company's South Korean factories.
The plans surfaced through The Korean Car Blog, which reported that a document from Kia's Employment Stability Committee set out model launches scheduled for 2028. Kia has not publicly confirmed timing for any of the models named in the leak, so Kia Australia has made no announcement about when they would reach local showrooms. The details should therefore be treated as unconfirmed until the company comments.
What the leaked document covers
The document reportedly maps out Kia's plans across its South Korean plants, with significant launches grouped around 2028. Alongside the new Sorento three-row SUV and the new Carnival people mover, it lists an updated and expanded Tasman ute range, described as bringing product improvements and more derivative models.
Whether those derivatives include a Tasman-based SUV is not settled. Kia senior vice president and head of global planning Spencer Cho said earlier this year that a ladder-frame SUV spun off the Tasman could be an option, but that the current lineup is big enough. The leak does not confirm it either way.
Tasman update arrives after a slow start
An updated Tasman has some urgency behind it. The ute launched in 2025 as Kia's rival to the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger, supported by an elaborate marketing campaign, but it has not translated into showroom success. Between January and October 2026, 3998 Tasmans were sold in Australia, putting it on track for roughly 4800 sales across the full year against a launch forecast of 20,000 annually.
Cho has acknowledged the gap directly. "Currently we are working on every area in which we can improve the performance of the Tasman, especially in the Australian market," he told CarExpert earlier this year. He said Kia would provide counter-measures for the coming years and would add other powertrain choices if it could, along with design changes, new features, content and technologies.
The powertrain question is the one buyers keep raising. Early customer feedback reportedly put a hybrid high on potential buyers' wish lists, which would pitch a hybrid Tasman against the Ford Ranger plug-in hybrid and the BYD Shark 6. Cho's comments leave the door open to additional powertrains, but the leak does not name them, so the exact Tasman lineup for the update has not been announced.
That matters because the Tasman's problem is not awareness but conversion. A broader powertrain range, particularly a hybrid, would put the ute into the conversation buyers are already having about electrified workhorses, rather than asking them to accept a diesel-only proposition in a segment that is moving.
Carnival and Sorento replacements in 2028
The Carnival is currently Australia's best-selling people mover by a considerable margin, and the leaked document points to a new generation in 2028, with a hydrogen-powered version following in 2029. The eight-seat Carnival range was updated in Australia last year, adding a four-cylinder hybrid powertrain across three model grades, which are also offered with a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder.
A hydrogen Carnival would be a notable step for a mainstream people mover, though the leak gives no detail on which markets would receive it. For Australian buyers, the hybrid and turbo-diesel versions remain the confirmed choices until Kia says otherwise.
The new Sorento is the other major piece. A full generation change for the three-row SUV is listed among the 2028 launches, but the document does not spell out powertrains, dimensions or pricing, and Kia Australia has not commented on timing.
EV7 and the unanswered questions
The leaked plans also include a new electric SUV, the Kia EV7. Beyond its existence and its place in the rollout, the document reveals little: battery size, range, test cycle, charging speed, market availability and price have not been announced.
The same gap applies across the board. Kia has not publicly confirmed timing for any of the models in the leaked document, which means Australian arrival dates, specifications and pricing for the updated Tasman, new Sorento, new Carnival and EV7 all remain open. The 2028 dates are the plan as set out internally, not a published commitment.
