Kia Stinger to end production in April 2023 – report

The Kia Stinger has been bolstered by rumors its parent will end production but it continues to be positive. But will its time finally come?

The latest report on Korea, from Car timeIndicate current production Stinger will end in April 2023.

However, the company says an alternative vehicle – a sleek, electric four-door coupe – will be launched in 2025 to keep the sport sedan flame alive in Kia’s lineup.

CarExpert has contacted Kia Australia, which would not comment on the accuracy of the report or the future of the Stinger.

While Car time note that Kia has discontinued production of models in the Korean market due to sales slowdown persisting in other markets, such as Soul and StonicKia said it “plans to completely discontinue Stinger production”.

A report from Korea Daily car last july said Production will end in 2022 and the factory will be retooled for production Carnival – something didn’t happen in the end.

The Stinger entered production in 2017 and is therefore nearing the end of the traditional Korean passenger car’s lifecycle.

It received a mid-life update in 2021 with aesthetic tweaks and more equipment, but the more powerful 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder didn’t make the trip to Australia.

While it has a explosion of popularity finally in Australia – it is set to announce the best sales year – its performance in other markets has been negligible.

Sedans are still a hot commodity in Korea, but the Stinger – technically a hatchback – has become the brand’s lowest-selling model here.

Car time reported 1499 units were sold there from January to September, down 39.1% from the same period last year.

It has always been a niche player in Europe, despite the availability of a four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine. But the Stinger came when diesel engines were losing favor and it never offered an electric powertrain as Europe adopted these.

The European Stinger range was then switched back with only the top-spec, twin-turbo V6 GT engine.

It was also never destined for greatness in China, is not domestically produced and is therefore subject to tariffs.

In the U.S. market, which has a long history of gasoline-powered sports sedans, its sales have remained steady, if not, at around 13,000 units nearly every year since its launch.

It sells better Volkswagen Arteon was there last year but has outsold almost any other midsize or large car from a mainstream nameplate. More affordable, Optima-Installed K5 outsold it by six more than a year ago.

Asked about Stinger’s future in Australia back in june“The future at the operational level is fantastic,” said Kia Australia CEO Damien Meredith.

“We haven’t heard any official word from Korea as to whether we are going to launch a new model for the Stinger, so we are happy at the moment that we are getting supplies. great for the car and it is working great. on the market.”

“We make no secret that the EV6 is our new halo product, from a technology and performance standpoint,” said Roland Rivero, general manager of product planning at Kia Australia. EV6 are also bringing in new buyers for the brand.

“You will always have ICE people who never want to flip, who are almost against EV flipping. And Stinger will benefit from that for a while. “

Mr. Rivero said CarExpert in May, the company continued to work through Stinger’s numerous pre-orders with “still a few months to go”.

The flagship GT is taking over 90% of sales and with the death of Chrysler 300 is the only mainstream brand rear-wheel drive sports sedan offered in Australia.

It has also become a favorite target of some Australian police forces, who have used it to replace the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon.

THAN: Everything Kia Stinger