The Kia Stinger is a new kid on the sport sedan block, but the brand has plans to keep the fastback fresh throughout its lifecycle.
Orth Hendrick, Kia North America product planner, told AutoGuide in a Tuesday report that various new models may be in the cards. They could include a higher-performance variant, a more luxurious offering, and special editions.
"It’s a little early yet, we just got the car on the market, and we still have a handful of dealers who have never sold one yet. We’ll probably wait for a while to get some data in and see what the reaction will be," Hendrick said. Only after crunching the data will a final decision be made on additional derivatives.
Kia also understands the Stinger is a "want" car, not a "need," and any future additions will reflect this logic. "It's a fashion statement," Hendrick added.
Expect a bold color palette, perhaps even the show-car yellow hue for a limited-production run, and even additional powertrains through the Stinger's life to keep things fresh.
We may even see a V-8 powered Stinger. Last year, Kia Australia's general media manager, Kevin Hepworth, said the engine had been proposed for the American market. The likely choice would be Hyundai's 5.0-liter V-8, which powers the Genesis G80 and makes 420 horsepower. That power figure differs enough from the 365 horsepower of the twin-turbo 3.3-liter V-6 to make sense.