Are we going to lose the last available rear wheel drive sports sedan in Australia? The latest information on the future of the 2022 Kia Stinger - straight from Kia
The Kia Stinger is Australia's latest sub-$65 high-performance rear-wheel-drive sedan.
It was "what the hell?" The moment the Kia Stinger first hit dealerships in 2017 — just a month before the last Australian Holden Commodore rolls off the production line — but weak global sales mean the last available rear-wheel-drive sports sedan has reached the end of the road, too?
We asked Kia Australia COO Damien Meredith if the Stinger would stay.
“From what we were told at Kia headquarters, she is staying,” he said. “We didn't hear anything else.
This is good news for fans of powerful cars. With the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore long retired and the Chrysler 300 SRT recently retired, the Stinger is the last sub-$65 high-performance rear-wheel-drive sedan.
Sure, there's a Ford Mustang that costs $64,390 (MSRP) for an 339kW V8 GT, but it's a two-door sports car, and the Stinger is a full-size, four-door Hi-Po sedan, which makes it even more of a disappearing look.
The top-of-the-line Stinger GT costs $63,960 and comes with a 3.3-liter V6 twin-turbo engine with 274kW and 510Nm. For around $10 less, you can get the same engine in the 330S class, or for $50,250, there are 200S with a 182kW turbo-four.
It's fair to say that a quick four-door fastback isn't for everyone, and the sales results also reflect that.
Sales of the Kia Stinger in Australia have been relatively low compared to most other Kia models. For example, around 18,000 Cerato small cars are sold here every year compared to 1800 Stingers a year.
But while the Stinger is sold in smaller numbers in Australia, its numbers are surprisingly consistent. Starting from a high of 1957 sales after a first year on the market in 2018, sales declined to 1773 at the end of 2019, then to 1778 in 2020, and 2021 results were several hundred lower, to 1407, thanks to semiconductor power issues.
In the US and Korea, demand for the Stinger was lower than expected.
“It fell short of expectations in North America,” Mr. Meredith said.
“In Australia, I think they did a fantastic job. I would like to do a lot more in volume, but I think because the competition has dissipated, the market has shrunk, but we were really happy. Since its inception and until now, it averages about 150 per month.”
Rumors back in 2020 suggested that poor sales in the United States and Korea convinced Kia bosses to kill off the Stinger before the second generation arrived, but Kia Australia head of product planning Roland Rivero dismissed these rumors as mere rumours.
“Sales abroad didn't pan out. There were rumors about Korean Automotive Blog this suggested that it would disappear as early as the second quarter of next year – inaccurate,” he said.
“It hit the Stinger Club on Facebook and everyone was like, ‘You must be kidding. Buy now because this is about to die!
“But we know for sure that it will not end in the second quarter of next year. I think it's important. We now have a halo car and I think it will remain a halo car in the future.”
“It was a super car for us in Australia,” agreed Mr. Meredith.
"It lifted the brand to a position we would never have risen to."
In late 2020, Kia updated the Stinger with new LED headlights and taillights, new alloy wheels and a bimodal sports exhaust system.
The question then remains: will we see a second generation Stinger?
"I don't know," said Mr. Meredith.
"But I've said this before, I don't mind if we keep the current model with a 10 year product life cycle because it's such a great car."
“Look at the Nissan GT-R – how old has it been? I think halo vehicles can have a longer lifespan,” added Mr. Rivero.
