Second-generation Kia Stinger is unlikely to happen

KUALA LUMPUR: Kia Stinger, the performance sedan of Korean automaker, debuted in 2018 and received a good welcome. However, it could not make up on the sales charts in the 2-year span. In 2020, the sales of the Stinger dropped by 21% in the first quarter as compared to the same period in 2019, while in March, it recorded a fall of 40%. The sales roughly dropped by 18 percent between 2018 and 2019, as per the Motor1.com.

While deciding about bringing a second-generation model, Kia considers the sales numbers as an important indicator. And as we can see, the sedan is not hopeful in this context. This brings a question mark on the arrival of second-generation Kia Stinger. 

And, recently, the Korean Car Blog also reported that the dismal sales of the sedan could lead to the demise of its second generation. It cited the rumors about the demise, though, it would not be much of a surprise if these come true, in the light of falling sales numbers.

Moreover, the coronavirus pandemic situation in the world has affected all the automakers. All the showrooms and dealerships are closed around the globe. This clearly implies the negative impact on their bottom lines.

In this context, Gregory Guillaume, VP and senior chief designer at Kia’s design studio in Germany, said last September, “At the moment I’m not sure it’s doing as good as we hoped. We never really expected to do massive volumes.” He further added, “The company had very high expectations for the US market, and at the same time it is complicated to enter a premium segment such as the Stinger.” 

Guillaume also indicated that the sedan could have a new avatar in the future by saying, “As you know, a lot is going on with electrification, so it could be that Stinger becomes something else.”

In the Malaysian market, Kia Stinger is available with a choice of two performance-oriented petrol engines - a smaller 2.0-litre four-cylinder mill and a larger 3.3-litre V6 engine. The price starts at RM 264,888.

Also read: Kia extends vehicles’ warranty through Kia Promise program