Kia Stonic price cut

There are more versions of the Kia Stonic going on sale than we originally thought – and the pricing starts even lower at $22,990 drive-away.

While Kia Australia accidentally released pricing and details of three versions of its new light SUV on its website earlier this week, two more have been confirmed with the lifting of the media embargo overnight.

The additional models are the Kia Stonic S six-speed manual and six-speed auto, both of which share a 74kW/132Nm 1.4-litre petrol engine with the previously announced Stonic Sport.

The Stonic S resets entry-level pricing for the Mazda CX-3 rival at $21,490 plus on-road costs, or $22,990 drive-away. The auto version adds another $1000.

The Stonic Sport’s drive-away prices are $24,990 and $25,990 for the manual and auto respectively, while the 1.0-litre turbo-petrol dual-clutch transmission GT-Line flagship is $29,990 drive-away.

The Stonic section of the Kia website went live when television commercials started airing. They did not include the S because it does not go on sale until mid-February.

However, media were briefed about the Stonic S and given an equipment outline earlier this week.

Standard Kia Stonic S equipment includes six airbags, autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with car, pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane following assist, a reversing camera with dynamic parking guidelines, rear parking sensors and driver attention alert.

It also has cruise control, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, multi-connection Bluetooth, an 8.0-inch multimedia touch-screen, six-speaker sound system, 4.2-inch TFT LCD instrument cluster, 15-inch steel wheels and auto headlights.

The Sport specification adds 17-inch alloy wheels, smart key with push-button start, 8.0-inch multimedia touch-screen with navigation, 10-year Mapcare updates with SUNA Traffic, electric-folding mirrors and premium steering wheel and shifter.

The GT-Line has its own localised sportier suspension tune, a set of bespoke 17-inch alloys, idle-stop-and-go (also on manual S and Sport), a body kit, MFR LED headlights, two-tone colour or sunroof, cloth and artificial leather seats, climate-control air-conditioning, privacy glass and an electrochromic mirror.

As we’ve reported previously, the Stonic picks up a five-star ANCAP safety rating courtesy of its technical connection with the Kia Rio small car. However, that is a 2017 result based on protocols not as tough as they are today.

Kia is forecasting 6000 sales per annum for the Stonic, compared to more than 13,000 for the Mazda CX-3, which is the dominant player in the VFACTS light SUV segment. Other key rivals include the Hyundai Venue and new Toyota Yaris Cross.

Kia forecasts a roughly equal sales split across the three Stonic model grades, with the top-spec GT-Line perhaps having a slight edge.

Australia is getting the Stonic at its midlife update after it went on sale overseas in 2017. Its arrival was set back twice since last October because of a lack of supply.

“We should be okay now unless we sell 1000 per month,” Kia Australia chief operating officer Damien Meredith said. “That’s going to create a problem for us.”

Importantly, the Stonic will also add a fourth model line to Kia’s collection of SUVs as it shoots for a record 65,000 sales in 2021. It will soon add a fifth with the Kia Niro small SUV (with electrified powertrains) also slotting in.

Meredith said the 65K number was the “base business plan” with the expectation better could be achieved.

Helping that growth, Meredith forecast at least 80 per cent of Stonic sales would be incremental, rather than chewing into Rio.

“We’ll (also) have a full year of new Sorento, which will help (sales),” he said. “I think we still have an advantage in our line-up of passenger cars with Picanto, Rio and Cerato.

“No other competitor has three vehicles in micro, light and small passenger. From our planning there is still going to be over 200,000 passenger cars sold this year.

“We will get a fair share of that. We are running at about 15 per cent of that, so we are pretty confident we will get that 65,000.”

Meredith said the Kia target within a few years was 80,000 sales per annum and 100,000 sales “if and when” a Kia light commercial range was available, including a long-awaited ute.

Meredith also forecast an overall new vehicle sales number of 970,000 for the industry in 2021. While that is up on the 916,968 sold in 2020, it would still be the second sub-one million year in a row after 10 consecutive years beating that mark.

“COVID has knocked the hell out of global supply chains and every manufacturer is hustling to recover from that,” said Meredith. “It’s going to be an issue over the next two or three years.”

How much does the 2021 Kia Stonic cost?
S (m) – $22,990
S (a) – $23,990
Sport (m) – $24,990
Sport (a) – $25,990
GT-Line (a) – $29,990
* All prices are drive-away (including on-road costs)