Kia Stinger future uncertain

Kia’s flagship performance car, the Kia Stinger, could be a one-hit wonder.

Kia Motors Australia has confirmed to carsales it has had no guidance on whether the Kia Stinger sports sedan will enter a second generation or be discontinued, despite the model now being in its fourth year.

This is past the usual halfway mark and a point where Kia would typically be deep into development of the next model.

“As for what the next-generation [Stinger] model will look like, that’s something that’s still under study and still to be confirmed,” said Kia Australia’s product planning chief Roland Rivero.

Rivero also revealed that the Stinger’s lifecycle would be extended for a longer period than normal, buying the Korean car-maker more time to recoup development costs and assess its future.

“You could argue with a longer life there’s longer opportunity to decide and make that decision,” he said.

“But no decision has been made on the next-generation model.”

The Kia Stinger was launched in mid-2017 and has just received what is normally considered a mid-life update.

This is due in Australia in November, but where a mid-cycle update usually brings a comprehensive overhaul to the model, the facelifted Kia Stinger receives only minor upgrades to its exterior and interior design and few mechanical changes.

The US version was reportedly in line to receive the Hyundai Motor Group’s latest 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 (280kW/530Nm) – as seen in the new Genesis G80 luxury sedan – as well as the 2.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder (216kW/420Nm) that looks set to power the all-new Hyundai Sonata N Line launching here in November this year.

But this has not materialised.

All of which suggests Kia is unwilling to invest heavily to rekindle customer interest in its flagship performance car, which is doing reasonably well in Australia but has struggled in the make-or-break USA market.

“We’re still very focused on Stinger in our market and it’s continuously doing very well for us,” Rivero said.

“If anything, as its ageing it’s doing even better,” he added, pointing out the current model is selling “close to 200 units per month”.

Endowed with a 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 (272kW/510Nm) driving the rear wheels, the Kia Stinger was once touted as a Holden Commodore SS and Ford Falcon XR8 replacement, and has won favour among not only driving enthusiasts but state and territory police forces, some of which are using it as a pursuit and highway patrol vehicle.

The major sticking point appears to be North America, the most important market for the Kia Stinger but one in which the sedan has struggled.

Rivero’s comments come 12 months after Kia’s European design boss, Gregory Guillaume, conceded the Stinger’s future was in limbo.

“There’s the volume expectation with Stinger. I mean, we never really expected to do massive volumes with the car, which was a halo car… [But] we did want to be successful at least in America – the market where we thought there’s a chance actually that it works,” said Guillaume.

“At the moment I’m not sure it’s doing as good as we had hoped – but the thing is we had very high … expectations for that market.”