Kia Stinger’s future hanging in the balance

One of the most hyped about performance sedans of 2018, the Kia Stinger is reportedly facing an uncertain future despite having been on sale globally for just over 12 months.

According to caradvice.com.au, lower than expected sales in key markets have cast doubt on the possibility of a second generation model, with the South Korean automaker’s Vice President of Design, and European division Chief Designer, Gregory Guillaume, saying that while it was expected that the Stinger would remain a niche product, poor sales in markets such as North America and Australia have become a worry.

“At the moment I’m not sure it’s doing as good as we hoped. We never really expected to do massive volumes. It was a halo car. We did want to be successful at least in America, the market where we thought there is a chance that it works,” Guillaume said.

“We had very high expectations for that market and it’s very difficult to start in such segments. The company will have to be ready to understand that. I think we should continue (even though) the sedan market is getting more and more difficult worldwide”.

He also stated that the Stinger’s premium pricing could have had an effect on its lack of sales success, saying that, “if there is some issues it’s not because of how the car looks… it’s more the positioning of where it is for a Kia”.

Quizzed about a possible shift towards electrification for the next generation, Guillaume said that no final decision has been made, although the possibility has also not been ruled out either.

“As you know there’s a lot going on with electrification, so it could be that Stinger becomes something else. I don’t know. We’re not there yet. We’ve got a bit of time,” he said.

In South Africa, sales of the Stinger, which could only be done via a dedicated Kia approved website, ended in June this year as the first batch of allocated models have all been sold. Based on the monthly NAAMSA sales figures since going on-sale in July last year, a total of 28 Stingers have seemingly been made available for South Africa, with September last year’s registering of six units being the highest.

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