Spied: 2013 Kia Rondo

In America, bigger is better. That might help explain the Mazda5 mini-minivan’s less-than-stellar sales here in the States, and why its only competitor, the Kia Rondo, was dropped from the U.S. market in 2011. Our colleagues at Automobile though, think Kia may be working on a follow-up.

This Kia tester was spotted in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The photographer says this Kia was about the same size as the Mazda5. Underneath all the camouflage the Kia, possibly a Cee’d-based Carens, appeared to share lots of design features with the Optima and Rio.

Like the Ford C-Max Hybrid, this Kia tester may feature conventional-opening rear doors, as opposed to the sliding rear-doors normally found on a minivan. The rear doors are larger than usual, likely to make it easier to get in and out of the back seats.

So is the Kia Carens coming to the United States? Not likely, especially since sales of the Mazda5, the only vehicle currently in the mini-minivan segment, are down 41.0 percent year to date. So what’s this Kia doing in America?

Thanks to: Motor Trend