The Kia Stinger is the Korean manufacturer’s long-awaited rear-wheel-drive model aimed at the European establishment which arrived in 2017, though it has had a tough time on the sales charts and might not survive into a second generation due to poor demand.
The large, rear-wheel-drive four-door will be updated for its current lifecycle, however, as development cars have been spotted running road tests in Germany by our spy photographers. Camouflage is seen on the bonnet, front bumper and fenders of the test unit here, as well as its doors, tailgate, rear bumper and rear quarter panels, indicating sections of bodywork that will likely be revised for the facelift.
The headlamp cluster on this particular car appears to have daytime running lights that are similar to those on the current, pre-facelift car, however this could still be changed before the Stinger facelift is launched. In addition to the update in cosmetics, the mid-lifecycle revision will reportedly see the 3.3 litre turbocharged V6 engine gain muscle from its current outputs of 365 hp and 510 Nm of torque to 380 hp and 528 Nm.
The current 2.0 litre, turbocharged inline-four petrol engine will make gains too, according to our sources, courtesy of a capacity increase to 2.5 litres. Meanwhile, the Stinger interior will reportedly also be brought up to date with a fully digital instrument cluster replacing the current analogue setup in the current car, while the existing eight-inch infotainment unit will also be replaced by a larger, 10.25-inch touchscreen configuration.
According to South Korean publication Top Rider, the Stinger is due for introduction in its home market sometime in July before it arrives in European and North American markets after that. Fans of the RWD fastback will be hoping for the Stinger to do better on the sales charts if it is to be given a chance at a new generation, though the refreshed model, like all upcoming cars, will also have external factors such as the Covid-19 pandemic to deal with.
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
Just kill it off. Even Lotus sells more cars than Stinger did.
“capacity increase to 2.5 litres”
In many european countries there’s a 2.0 litre limit. Above 2.0 litre, the car is considered a luxury car with a huge luxury tax. Increasing the engine capacity to 2.5 litres is not a wise move, at least not if they want to sell cars in the EU-market too.