The Kia EV6 GT unveiled earlier this year is the most powerful production model in the history of the brand, stealing this title from the Kia Stinger GT. Although they are quite different in terms of their shape and size, Kia’s design boss Karim Habib suggested that the electric model could be seen as the spiritual successor of the Stinger which is not expected to get a direct replacement.

Karim Habib’s comments were reported by Autocar and reflect his view of the EV6 as a very important model for Kia, taking a pivotal role similar to the Stinger. More specifically, when asked about the future of the Stinger GT he replied: “The spirit of Stinger remains and will remain. I like to think that the EV6 has the genes of the GT. We’re doing to do a GT of that, and it has the Stinger in it.”

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The Stinger was launched back in 2017 as Kia’s halo model signaling the sporty and premium flavor of the brand’s future, with a mild facelift appearing in 2020. Reports for the rumored discontinuation of the flagship surfaced last year, while last summer Korean media published rumors about Kia dropping it from the range in the second quarter of 2022. Contrary to that, Autocar suggests that the Stinger will remain available until 2023 or 2024 which seems logical after the recent facelift.

In terms of performance, the most powerful variant of the Stinger is fitted with the twin-turbo 3.3-liter V6 T-GDi engine producing 365 hp (272 kW / 370 PS) and 510 Nm (376 lb-ft) of torque. In AWD guise, the Stinger GT accelerates from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 4.9 seconds and has a top speed of 270 km/h (168 mph).

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For comparison, the Kia EV6 GT is featuring a dual electric motor setup producing a combined 577 hp (430 kW / 585 PS) of power and 546 lb-ft (740 Nm) of torque. Besides being significantly more powerful it is also quicker with an impressive 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) time of 3.5 seconds. However, the EV6 GT is a tad slower than the Stinger in terms of top speed which is limited to 260 km/h (162 mph).

The numbers suggest that the EV6 GT is indeed the new performance flagship for Kia however as nicely designed as it is, its five-door and slightly raised hatchback bodystyle can’t really compete with the Stinger’s sexy four-door coupe stance.

This upcoming four-door sedan that was teased by Kia earlier this year could be a better spiritual successor for the Stinger if combined with the electric powertrain of the EV6 GT.

Given that Kia has more aces up its sleeve for the upcoming expansion of its electric range, we bet that there is a more fitting Stinger indirect replacement coming up in the future. In fact, among the teased models we spotted at least one with a low-riding four-door coupe-style silhouette which if combined with the EV6 GT powertrain, would make a great case.

Karim Habib’s comments were probably focused on the importance each model had for the Kia brand as he later explained: “Stinger has been a transformational car, and opened a whole new perspective as to what Kia can be, sporty and a precision driving tool. EV6 is now doing similar”. In any case, we are going to miss the Stinger when it’s gone.

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