√Kia Stinger production to end in March 2023

The death of the Kia Stinger sports sedan was announced last week, expected some time in 2023. Now a new report says production may have just three months left to run.

The final 2023 Kia Stinger sports sedans may roll off the South Korean production line this coming March, according to a new report out of the US.

After months of speculation, Kia head office in South Korea announced last week production of the Stinger would come to an end – but the company did not confirm when this would occur.

A new media statement – said to originate from a Kia US spokesperson – published by US website CarBuzz suggests production may end in March 2023, after 1000 Tribute Editions are built for overseas markets.

“We don’t have production date information at this time, except to say that production will continue until 1000 [examples] are produced, which will likely be sometime in March,” the statement published by CarBuzz reads.

When contacted by Drive last week, Kia Australia representatives would not comment on when production would end – but said order books remain open, and the company plans to fulfil existing orders.

Drive understands Kia Australia plans to order as many cars as possible from head office to meet demand – however it is believed the company expects to run out of stock before the end of 2023.

This aligns with the March end-of-production date reported by CarBuzz – which could see the final Australian cars arrive on local shores in April or May (pending any delays).

Previous reports about the end of Kia Stinger production – which emerged out of South Korea, before the official announcement was made last week – suggested the final cars could be built in April 2023.

As reported previously, 1000 Stinger Tribute Editions (above) will be built for the world to mark the end of production, with unique Moonscape matte grey paint, darkened accents, brown leather, and unique badging.

Drive has been told none will come to Australia, as the limited remaining production slots will be allocated to existing and any upcoming customer or police orders for the standard model.

The end of Kia Stinger production comes amid a global decline in sedan sales. In the case of the Kia Stinger, global sales dropped from approximately 33,300 in 2018 (its best year), to 21,700 last year, and a forecasted 15,000 to 16,000 examples in 2022.

Despite slowing sales overseas, Kia Stinger deliveries in Australia are up 58 per cent so far this year, compared to the same period in 2021 – for a total of 2161 cars reported as sold to the end of November 2022.

“The Tribute Edition … celebrates the Stinger sedan’s significant contribution to the brand since its introduction in 2017, as production of the groundbreaking model comes to an end,” the statement from Kia head office last week said.

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