A car loved by Aussies for its performance and affordable price has been cut and it’ll leave a big gap in several police Highway Patrol fleets
December 22, 2022 - 11:35AM
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The Kia Stinger is no more.
The South Korean brand’s head office has announced the end of production of the large sedan.
When it first launched in 2017 many Aussies believed the Stinger would be the spiritual successor to homegrown large-car favourites the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon.
Kia has announced the end of production for the Stinger large sedan.It was lauded for its rear-wheel drive layout and 3.3-litre twin-turbocharged V6 petrol engine that made a burly 274kW and 510Nm. It undercut premium sedans and offered luxury features no one else could match for the price.
It was also a proper driver’s car.
Even as Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon production ended, the Stinger’s sales never took off as Australian and global buyers’ tastes switched to SUVs.
Its demise poses a problem for several police forces in Australia that use the Stinger as Highway Patrol cars.
The Kia Stinger is used by several Police jurisdictions in Australia.In the first 11 months of this year Kia has sold more than 2100 Stingers. The brand sold three times as many large Sorento SUVs.
Large sedans made up just 0.5 per cent of all sales this year, or less than 5000. It’s a far cry from the late 90s when the Falcon and Commodore dominated, making up roughly one in five vehicles sales.
Kia’s senior vice president, Chang Sung Ryu, paid tribute to the Stinger’s contribution to the business and its performance focused vision.
The Stinger is one of the last remaining affordable large sedans and is a proper driver’s car.“As we enter a new age of mobility, Kia will satisfy the needs of customers who seek to enjoy elevated levels of dynamic driving pleasure through high-performance electrified models such as the EV6 GT,” says Ryu.
Kia is marking the occasion with a limited run of 1000 “Tribute Edition” models.
“The Stinger Tribute Edition denotes an important chapter in the story of Kia’s high-performance ethos. Featuring an exclusive colour and interior trim never before seen on the sedan, it also serves as a fitting celebration of the Stinger’s contribution to the Kia brand,” says Ryu.
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The Kia Stinger is being discontinued in the United Kingdom, though the Australian division remains committed to its turbocharged rear-drive halo.
In a media release sent out this week, Kia UK confirmed the Stinger would be taken off sale effective immediately, with the new EV6 GT electric vehicle set to serve as something of a spiritual successor and brand flagship in the region.
Kia’s British division noted it would “fulfil all existing customer orders for the model”, and that the Stinger continues to stay in production South Korea – but what does this mean for other right-hand drive [RHD] markets like Australia?
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“Kia UK’s decision has very little if any impact on Australia,” said Roland Rivero, general manager for product planning at Kia Australia.
Stinger GT, EV6 GT [UK models] Credit: CarExpert“As you know, UK has CO2 regulations and Stinger is not a big seller in that region. For Kia Australia it continues to be business as usual for Stinger unless we all hear something official from Kia HQ.”
When questioned about whether the Stinger’s axing in the UK potentially opens up more RHD supply for our market, Mr Rivero responded with: “We don’t anticipate any dramatic changes to our supply”.
It may be considered a slow seller in other parts of the world, but the Stinger is setting sales records in the Australian market.
Earlier this year in May, the nameplate set an all-time monthly record of 428 registrations, and as of October 31 is at 2054 units delivered year to date – representing growth of 54.0 per cent on the same period in 2021.
That’s despite the overwhelming majority of local customers – more than 90 per cent last we checked – opting for the flagship Stinger GT, complete with a twin-turbo V6 petrol engine and a price tag of $64,960 plus on-road costs.
Supplied Credit: CarExpertNumerous rumours have been swirling of late about the Stinger’s demise, the most recent by Korea’s Auto Times indicating production of the rear-drive liftback will cease in April 2023, though Kia Australia’s chief operating officer, Damien Meredith, poured cold water on the speculation in June.
“We haven’t heard anything official from Korea on whether or not we’re going to a new model for Stinger or not so we’re just happy at the moment that we’re getting fantastic supply for the car and it’s doing exceptionally well in market,” Mr Meredith told CarExpert.
“The future on an operational level is fantastic.”
For the 2023 model-year the Stinger continues to offer four grades in Australia, two four-cylinder turbo petrols and two twin-turbo V6 petrols, with prices ranging from $51,250 to $64,960 before on-road costs.