The Kia Stinger has been discontinued in the United Kingdom, five years after it went on sale in the country, reports Autocar. This will make way for the all-electric Kia EV6 GT that will replace the Stinger as the brand’s high-performance product in the market, the publication has heard.
“The launch of the Stinger will go down as a transformative moment for Kia. Its driver-focused ‘grand tourer’ credentials, paired with Kia’s reputation for vehicle quality and design, made it an incredibly compelling car for drivers. At the same time, it also had a transformative effect on how people saw Kia,” said Kia UK CEO Paul Philpott.
“For the same reasons, the EV6 GT is the ideal car to take the baton from the Stinger in the UK. The EV6 GT is an important part of this plan, and a true new flagship for the Kia brand,” Philpott continued, adding that the brand’s focus on electrification will see it offer 14 EVs in its line-up globally by 2027.
The EV6 GT that will replace the Stinger will pack considerably greater output figures, which 585 PS and 740 Nm on tap from its 217 PS front motor and 367 PS rear motor for a 0-100 km/h time of 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 260 km/h.
By comparison, the internal combustion Stinger in its most potent 3.3 litre V6 twin-turbo petrol guise makes 373 PS at 6,000 rpm and 510 Nm from 1,300 rpm to 4,500 rpm. These are transmitted to the rear wheels or all four, via an eight-speed automatic gearbox. Acceleration for the V6 Stinger is 4.7 seconds across the 0-100 km/h measure.
Rumours of the Stinger’s discontinuation had been floated as early as last July, as a report from Korea citing unnamed local industry sources reported that the fastback RWD car’s weakening demand may see its production halted, and the Sohari Plant in Gwangmyeong that manufactures it will be retooled for the production of a hybrid Kia Carnival.
In Malaysia, the Kia Stinger was launched in July 2018 as the 251 hp 2.0 GT Line and 365 hp 3.3 V6 GT, priced from RM240k to RM310k at its local launch.
Fast forward to June this year, and the Kia EV6 GT-Line AWD picks up where the Stinger topped out, price-wise, with the dual-motor all electric offering being priced from RM301k. Fully imported (CBU) EVs such as the EV6 enjoy import and excise duty exemption until the end of 2024.
GALLERY: 2022 Kia Stinger facelift, US market
GALLERY: Kia EV6 GT
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Stinger was a real fail by this kimchi. They should have sized their own body before they cut the suit. Now millions wasted to develop a single generation family and it is gone.
such a good car sad to see it gone. test drove a 3.3 stinger once the handling was very good and although the engine only has 370hp but it feel quick almost similar to my f80 m3.
Price too expensive, with that price; malaysian people will buy merc because of better resale value
When people cant afford something, they create thousands of reason its better to buy something else with that kind of money and become a member of geng ‘baik beli……’.
People buying cars at premium price bracket dont care about resale value. Why? Because they want that specific car and they can afford it.
Why dont you tell a potential Ferrari buyer to buy 2 or 3 Merc or buy a Merc and a bungalow instead?