√Kia Stinger axed in the UK, but safe in Australia for now

The Kia Stinger has been axed from the company’s UK line-up to create space for the EV6 GT electric car – but it remains in production for overseas markets such as Australia.

The Kia Stinger sports sedan has been pulled from UK showrooms to make way for the high-performance EV6 GT electric car – but it will remain on sale in Australia for the time being.

Kia UK announced overnight it would “withdraw” the Stinger from sale, and replace it in the role of the brand’s flagship model with the EV6 GT electric car, due in UK showrooms before the end of this year – and in Australia early next year.

But the Stinger will “remain in production in South Korea”, Kia UK has advised – and Kia Australia recently told Drive the car would remain in local showrooms for the foreseeable future, refuting overseas reports of its demise in all markets next year.

“The same media outlet that speculated the demise of the Stinger last year is now making new allegations. They said Stinger would be gone by now, and it is still in production,” Kia Australia general manager of product planning Roland Rivero told Drive in October.

“There has been no advice to us from Kia head office that anything has changed for Stinger. Therefore from our perspective it is business as usual. Different models have different model cycles. As far as we are concerned, the Stinger remains available and in production for the foreseeable future.”

Kia in the UK says it will fulfil all remaining Stinger orders.

While Kia UK says the decision to axe the Stinger is meant to make way for the EV6 GT as the company’s flagship, data shows it was never a volume seller, with only 2300 cars delivered in the UK since launch five years ago, according to Autocar.

For context, the Kia brand registered about 6000 vehicles in the UK last month, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

In Australia, Kia has reported just over 2000 Stingers as sold in 2022 alone – and since launch in 2017 has reported about 9500 Kia Stingers as sold.

While not confirmed, emissions regulations may also play a role, as the twin-turbo V6 Stinger GT emits more CO2 (221g/km) than any other model in Kia’s UK line-up – bringing down the average emissions of Kia UK’s vehicle fleet, crucial to meeting European emissions rules.

Although the Kia Stinger has been a relative success in Australia, it has not met sales expectations in other markets around the world – and Kia’s shift to electric power for its performance models means a Stinger successor with petrol power is increasingly unlikely.

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