The Kia Stinger GT makes headlines around 50% of the time due to rumors Kia will discontinue the highly regarded but slow-selling sports sedan. According to the automaker’s usual manufacturing schedule, a second-generation sedan should debut around the 2024 model year, but the most recent information out of South Korea indicated that the Sohari facility, which builds Stingers, will convert to producing hybrid and electric vehicles in Q2 of 2022.
At the L.A. Auto Show, Autocar had the chance to speak with Karim Habib, the head of design at Kia, on the likelihood of a brand-new Stinger. Tell us you’re not replacing the Stinger without telling us you’re not replacing the Stinger, was the challenge, and Habib’s reaction was a response to that. Says Habib: “Stinger’s spirit is still alive and will always be alive. I like to imagine that the EV6 possesses GT DNA. That has the Stinger in it, and we’re going to do a GT of it. The Stinger has been a game-changing vehicle that has given the world a completely new view on what Kia is capable of, as a sporty and precise driving instrument. Now, EV6 is acting similarly.”
In May, Damien Meredith, CEO of Kia Australia, provided a similar response to Australia’sDrive. Merced commented, “On many levels, the Kia Stinger has been helpful to us. It’s given our brand a performance advantage that we previously lacked,” they continued, introducing the EV6 as “the next step up in performance sharpness.”
Undoubtedly, during a previous wave of Stinger death knells in 2020, Habib foresaw such a future in an interview. As the Kia brand developed, Habib expressed his hope that the “spirit of the Stinger” would endure. “The concept definitely has to adapt as the technology toward EVs and as the globe and its appetite for these types of cars changes.”
We’re not shocked that there won’t be another Stinger, provided we’re reading between the lines correctly. The only thing that car failed to do well was sell well, which is an understandably unforgivable flaw. Although it surprises us, Kia envisions the EV6 as some sort of gene-based or spiritual successor to the Stinger. It is true that the EV6 will get a GT trim, which will be significantly more potent than anything ever offered for the Stinger. The dual-motor, all-wheel drive EV6 GT accelerates from zero to sixty miles per hour in 3.5 seconds and has a maximum output of 577 horsepower and 546 pound-feet of torque. The Stinger GT’s twin-turbo V6 has a maximum output of 368 horsepower and 376 lb-ft, and it requires an additional 1.2 seconds to reach 60 mph in the test.
The EV6 GT should arrive in the United States at the end of the next year, but that is a long time away and it’s impossible to predict how the world will be at that time. There should be enough stock left over if Stinger manufacture does stop in Q2 of the next year to survive until its spirit assumes its next incarnation.
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Are Kia Stingers fuel-efficient?
Stinger Fuel Economy Those estimations are adequate but not particularly noteworthy for a tiny luxury automobile. The fuel economy of Stingers with a four-cylinder engine and all-wheel drive drops to 21 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the interstate. While AWD V6 models only manage 17/24 mpg, the RWD V6 Stinger achieves 18/25 mpg city/highway.
Why aren’t Kia Stinger sales up?
According to information coming out of South Korea, the Kia Stinger as we know it may be nearing the end of its useful life and may no longer be produced starting in December 2022.
Kia will stop producing the Stinger starting in December, according to a post on the Korean forum Autospy. This confirms a claim from the country’s DailyCar website from July 2021, which predicted that production would end in the second part of this year.
According to a story from August, Kia’s design chief Karin Habib hinted that the car would continue to exist, adding that the firm is “working on a new model for the Stinger… we want the Stinger spirit to stay at the core of hunger.”
The Hyundai Vision FK, a 500kW hydrogen-powered concept car that bears an eerie resemblance to the Stinger given that Kia is a member of the Hyundai Motor Group family, will be the most obvious reincarnation.
According to reports from Korea, the Stinger is built at the Sohari Plant, which will be converted to produce electrified vehicles starting in 2023.
More rumors that the rear-wheel-drive sedan may switch to a battery-electric powertrain have been sparked by a silhouetted image from Kia showing a future electric car with a shape similar to the Stinger.
With what does Kia plan to replace the Stinger?
The Kia Stinger may not be around for very long, according to speculations. The Stinger will allegedly stop being manufactured in the second quarter of 2022, according to the most recent speculation, but Kia has not made any official comments. Kia is currently making it seem as though the Stinger won’t get a newer model.
At the Los Angeles Auto Show in 2021, design chief Karim Habib warned that the Stinger’s time was running out. Habib responded when questioned about a second-generation Stinger, “Stinger’s spirit is still alive and will always be alive. I like to imagine that the EV6 possesses GT DNA. That has the Stinger in it, and we’re going to do a GT of it.
He went on, “The Stinger has been a game-changing vehicle that has given the world a completely new view on what Kia is capable of, as a sporty and precise driving instrument. Now, EV6 is acting similarly.
The Stinger will presumably die soon, perhaps as early as next spring, but the EV6 GT won’t be available in the US until the end of 2022.
The Kia Stingeris it a failure?
The Stinger’s poor sales are hardly a secret in the industry, claims Motor1. The Stinger was Kia’s least popular vehicle in the country. In America, Kia sold fewer than 14,000 Stingers in 2019. Sales decreased to roughly 12,500 in 2020. The Stinger doesn’t seem to be recovering well in 2021, despite the recovering economy.
According to Motor1, Stinger’s year-to-date sales have increased by just 147 units in comparison to 2020. It wouldn’t be shocking if Kia discontinued the Stinger due to weak sales, like many other discontinued vehicles before it. According to Motor1, that is the current rumor. Although Kia hasn’t explicitly stated this, plans published by a Korean auto site stated that Kia would stop manufacture the Stinger in early 2022, according to Motor1.
Will the Kia Stinger be discontinued?
Excellent sedans are the Hyundai Sonata, Kia K5, and Kia Stinger. However, as purchasers shift en masse to crossovers, superb sedans are still struggling against the flood, and it appears that the bell will soon ring for all of the aforementioned models.
According to Automotive News, which cited internal sources and a Korean newspaper, Hyundai Motor Group is planning to stop producing the K5, Sonata, and Stinger as they approach the end of their respective lifecycles. According to a report in the Chosun Ilbo, Hyundai won’t create a new Sonata generation. It makes sense that the Kia K5, which shares a platform with the Sonata, will experience the same fate. While the Stinger has been active in the US since the 2018 model year, both are still quite young.
The Kia Stinger is dependable, right?
Customers concur that the Kia Stinger is among the most dependable luxury sedans. It receives an 83 out of 100 quality and reliability grade from J.D. Power. It also ranks in the top three sedans according to customer reviews.
The Kia Stinger receives an expert rating of 8.2/10 and a rating of 4.3 out of 5 on Edmunds.
Owners have stated on a few sites that the Stinger operates well as long as you take good care of it.
Can a Mustang outrun a Kia Stinger in speed?
In terms of raw acceleration, the 2018 Kia Stinger GT and Ford Mustang GT are almost comparable. In testing by Car & Driver, the 365 horsepower twin-turbocharged Kia Stinger GT reached 60 mph in 4.4 seconds and finished the quarter-mile in 12.9 seconds.
How much does it cost to maintain a Kia Stinger?
During the first ten years of ownership, a KIA Stinger will require roughly $6,281 in maintenance and repairs.
This is $815 less expensive than the industry average for popular sedan models. Additionally, there is a 17.53 percent likelihood that a Stinger will need a significant repair within that time. Compared to comparable automobiles in its sector, this is 3.97 percent better. The following graph shows how these expenses and the likelihood of repairs will rise over time.
Kia Stingers are they AWD?
Large sports sedan from Kia
The 2022 Stinger aims high to compete with the European automotive aristocracy, and almost succeeds. The Stinger is a fantastic choice for enthusiasts on a budget since, when compared to competitors like the Audi A5 Sportback and the BMW 4-series Gran Coupe, it offers a very similar luxury look and feel in addition to tons of driving verve. Its outstanding Genesis G70 sedan-based underpinnings are shared by the Stinger, but the Stinger hides its roomier cabin, bigger cargo area, and hatchback liftgate with a seductive fastback roofline. Two turbocharged engines are available: a powerful 368-hp twin-turbo V-6 and a basic 300-hp turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder. All-wheel drive is an option for those who prefer it but rear-wheel drive is the default.