Browse over 9,000 car reviews

Goodbye to another rear-drive performance sedan? Kia Stinger faces chopping block in 2023: Report

Kia Kia News Kia Stinger Kia Stinger News Kia Stinger 2022 Sedan Best Sedan Cars Kia Sedan Range Industry news Showroom News Car News
...
The plush sports tourer from Kia could bow out after six years due to slow sales and a push for electrification.
The plush sports tourer from Kia could bow out after six years due to slow sales and a push for electrification.
Chris Thompson
Journalist
24 Oct 2022
3 min read

Despite being on track to have its best year of Australian sales in 2022, the Kia Stinger won’t be available for much longer according to reports from South Korea saying production of the sedan is set to end next year.

Introduced in mid-2017, the Stinger was the first proper crack at a dedicated performance model from Kia and quickly seemed intent on filling the sports sedan-shaped hole in the hearts of Australian car buyers after the demise of the locally made Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon.

But with no new-generation Kia Stinger on the horizon as well as reports of its impending demise, that sedan-sized hole may once again return.

South-Korean publication Auto Times reported that industry sources have confirmed that Kia plans to cease production of the Stinger completely in April 2023.

According to reports, the reasons for Kia’s decision are relatively unsurprising: the lack of sales for the Stinger globally compared to the rest of the brand’s stable, as well as the industry push toward electrification and the inability to turn the Stinger into a full-fledged EV.

While the Stinger performs relatively well in Australia compared to other markets, it’s still not even close to the best-selling Kia models locally.

In 2018, the first full year of the Stinger being on sale, a period one would expect relatively high demand, the Stinger sold 1957 units, compared to 9040 Holden Commodores as the Australian-made models made their exit.

That year, Kia sold 58,815 cars, making the Stinger a little over 3.3 per cent of its sales that year.

In its South Korean home market, the Stinger has sold just 23,657 units across its lifetime, a tiny fraction of the almost 3 million Kias sold in that time. The brand holds a more-than 30 per cent market share in South Korea, behind only Hyundai.

2021 Kia Stinger GT
2021 Kia Stinger GT

The Stinger’s slow sales (globally, that is) mean we’re unlikely to see the Stinger enter a second generation with electrification, as cars like the Kia EV6 are likely to take up the mantle as next-gen performance cars from the brand.

While it’s been rumoured that the Stinger would stop coming to Australia as early as 2022, the six-year cycle which lines up to 2023 makes sense compared to the ages of other models.

Earlier this year, Kia Australia chief operating officer Damien Meredith told media he hoped imports of the Stinger would continue “for as long as possible”.

“We haven’t heard anything official from Korea regarding its end of production, so from our point of view, the longer the Stinger goes, the better it is for us as a company.”

Chris Thompson
Journalist
Racing video games, car-spotting on road trips, and helping wash the family VL Calais Turbo as a kid were all early indicators that an interest in cars would stay present in Chris’ life, but loading up his 1990 VW Golf GTI Mk2 and moving from hometown Brisbane to work in automotive publishing in Melbourne ensured cars would be a constant. With a few years as MOTOR Magazine’s first digital journalist under his belt, followed by a stint as a staff journalist for Wheels Magazine, Chris’ career already speaks to a passion for anything with four wheels, especially the 1989 Mazda MX-5 he currently owns. From spending entire weeks dissecting the dynamic abilities of sports cars to weighing up the practical options for car buyers from all walks of life, Chris’ love for writing and talking about cars means if you’ve got a motoring question, he can give you an answer.
About Author

Comments