Summary
- Kia is reportedly planning to expand its EV lineup, including bringing back the Stinger GT as an electric vehicle.
- Kia’s president, Ho-sung Song, highlights the importance of a new Stinger GT successor as a halo car for the brand.
- Kia is considering whether the new Stinger GT should be fully electric, hybrid, or gas-powered, while focusing on reducing EV costs.
It appears rumors of the Kia Stinger’s return as an electric vehicle are holding true. Word comes from Britain’s AutoCar, who recently spoke to the brand’s president, Ho-sung Song, at a recent testing convention, who shared that the company’s is upping its towards the expansion of its EV lineup.
The lineup will include a new Picanto city car, or a tiny, cheap, ultra-subcompact hatchback that’s been a popular seller in both Europe and domestic Asian markets. However, it never sold stateside or in North America period, with the closest thing to a Picanto being the Rio subcompact hatch and sedan. But more importantly, the new expansion strategy will include a Stinger GT successor, which if true, confirms previous rumors of a Stinger return hinted by trademark application filed by Kia for the car’s nameplate.
The Stinger Is Still Vital To Kia’s Portfolio As A Halo Car
Although nothing’s been specifically confirmed, Song told AutoCar that his team is working around the clock to study what the best approach is for a new halo car. The original and previous Stinger did well to elevate the brand’s reputation as a formidable performance carmaker. But more importantly, one that can make a seriously competitive sports sedan that even teetered on the line of being near-luxury, especially since its chassis and powertrain were developed by the former chief engineer of BMW M, Albert Biermann.
A gas-only model, the original Stinger put Kia on the map as a brand to take seriously, particularly with the six-cylinder-powered GT, which produced 368 horsepower from its 3.3-liter twin-turbocharged V-6. So performance, at minimum, is a necessity for this new and potentially up-and-coming Stinger GT EV successor. And with such big shoes to fill, Kia is doubling down on its efforts to see how to proceed.
“That kind of model is under study,” Song told AutoCar. “What kind of model can help build the brand? This is what we are now studying.”
The previous Stinger arrived in 2017 as a 2018 model year car before being discontinued in 2023. It was available with the twin-turbo V-6 as the flagship model with turbocharged four-cylinder variant serving as the base model. In North America, the four-cylinder model came only with all-wheel drive while the V-6 model came with the choice of rear-wheel or all-wheel drive.
The biggest challenge, according to Song, is particularly deciding whether to go with an EV or to keep it gas-powered or partially gas-powered as a hybrid model. Song also openly recognized that EVs still face challenges, even when trying to make a cheap, affordable model like the Picanto. And one of the biggest challenges is cost, whether it be related to battery or charging technology, or the electric propulsion systems itself. Though despite the recent slowdown in demand being observed in Europe and other markets, Song still believes EVs are here to stay for the long term, and he predicts that demand will climb back up.
“In the meantime, most OEMs are trying our best to reduce the cost of EVs to provide a better price to our customers,” Song concluded in his interview with the British car publication.
Kia is one of the many automakers who increased efforts towards its electrification strategy, trademarking names in numbering succession with the “EV” prefix and numbered “1” through “9,” which has so far led to the production of the EV6 and the EV9. The company also shifts some of its strategy to focus more one hybrid models to buy time and allow for further investment into the development and advancement of EV technology. For instance, the company’s still hard at work trying to research improved solid-state batteries, though the automaker didn’t disclose any expected launch or release date for this new battery tech.
Source: AutoCarUK
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