It appears increasingly unlikely that the Kia Stinger will be produced for a second generation due to poor sales, among other factors.
When launched, the Stinger generated a huge amount of interest from enthusiasts and was initially selling well. However, this hasn’t been sustained, with sales in the U.S. falling approximately 18 per cent between 2018 and 2019, and sliding by 21 per cent in the first quarter of 2020.
Admittedly, the coronavirus pandemic is largely to blame for the slide in sales this year. However, The Korean Car Blog claims that it’s not just poor sales that are hurting the Stinger but also the fact that its brother from another mother, the Genesis G70, is a better all-round package.
Read Also: Facelifted Kia Stinger To Get Some Mild Performance Improvements
Whereas Hyundai decided to launch the G70 sports sedan through its premium Genesis brand, Kia has no premium brand and had to slap its own logo on the car. As good as the Stinger is, it appears many consumers are still living in the past and put off by the idea of driving a Kia.
That’s a shame because for all intents and purposes, the Stinger is as good as its European rivals while costing significantly less. While this is sad news, Kia is expected to update the existing Stinger before sending it off into the sunset.
For some time, it was claimed the facelifted Stinger will ditch its flagship 3.3-liter twin-turbo V6 in favor of the 3.5-liter twin-turbo unit used by the GV80 and G80. New reports say that won’t happen, however, and that the current engine will simply be updated. Other changes, including some styling alterations, are also expected.
