Kia Discontinues Stinger Gross sales In UK, Readies EV6 GT As Substitute

Nicely, this doesn’t come as a lot of a shock. Kia is discontinuing the Stinger within the UK because the automaker prepares to launch the electrical EV6 GT available in the market. Kia first previewed the Stinger in 2011 earlier than a manufacturing model arrived for the 2018 mannequin yr.

Over the previous few years, there have been quite a few reviews and rumors predicting the mannequin’s demise. One report as not too long ago as final month prompt that Kia is planning to finish Stinger manufacturing in April of subsequent yr. Stinger gross sales within the automaker’s dwelling nation make it the corporate’s slowest-selling mannequin in South Korea.

In asserting the Stinger’s demise within the UK, the automaker referred to as it “a totemic automobile” for the corporate, which “served as a daring assertion of intent for the model.” It additionally helped introduce the Kia model to new consumers and remodel its notion. Kia UK President and CEO Paul Philpott mentioned that the Stinger would go down as a “transformative second” for the automaker, which modified fairly a bit within the 2010s.

Serving because the Stinger’s alternative within the UK market would be the electrical Kia EV6 GT, “the perfect automobile to take the baton from the Stinger,” mentioned Philpott. The EV6 GT delivers 577 horsepower (430 kilowatts) and 546 pound-feet (740 Newton-meters) of torque. In 2021, Kia’s design boss hinted that the EV6 GT may function the model’s alternative for the Stinger within the lineup. Kia will begin EV6 GT deliveries within the UK earlier than the tip of the yr. 

The sporty sedan was by no means a powerful vendor for the model. Its finest gross sales yr within the US was its first full yr of gross sales in 2018. Since then, gross sales have leveled off at round 13,000. Kia refreshed the automobile for the 2021 mannequin yr, tweaking the outside design, upgrading the cabin, and revamping the powertrain choice. Kia added a brand new North American-exclusive engine – a 300-horsepower (223-kilowatt) 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder.

Whereas Kia has stopped Stinger gross sales within the UK, the automaker did say that manufacturing will proceed in South Korea. It can additionally fulfill all current buyer orders for the mannequin within the UK.