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The Kia Stinger was discontinued in 2023, at which time Kia also announced it would prioritize EVs instead. Around the same time as the Stinger’s demise, the Kia electric EV6 GT burst onto the scene, becoming the new performance flagship in Kia’s catalog. Interestingly, there was nothing gravely wrong with the Stinger, though. The 2022 Stinger was a sedan with style and power, and it earned a spot on our list of the top 10 cars with the most luxurious interiors under $40K. However, the reasons the Stinger was nixed have little to do with its value or aesthetics.
To understand the full picture, we’ll need to look at market trends. The automotive industry has been transforming rapidly in recent years, and the story of the Stinger exemplifies these fast-shifting consumer tastes. As EVs replace internal-combustion engines and SUVs grow in popularity, the supply of automobiles is changing to meet the demand. It seems that, no matter how powerful, affordable, or luxurious a car is, the market ultimately determines success.
The Stinger failed to rack up big sales numbers for Kia
In the Stinger’s six-year run from 2017 to 2023, nearly every year saw thousands of fewer sales from the last, indicating a decreasing demand. By 2023, its final year of production, the Stinger had an abysmal 5,452 sales. Kia tried to keep the Stinger afloat by introducing new models with high-tech updates , designing special-edition models (like the 2022 Kia Stinger Scorpion Special Edition), and deploying four different engines in its short run. Yet, for all those fancy features, it seems most consumers are increasingly uninterested in sports sedans.
Instead, more people are buying SUVs and trucks than ever in the United States. In 2015, for the first time in history, SUVs outpaced sedans in sales. Only four years later, SUV sales had already doubled sedan sales. Then by 2022, a whopping 80% of every new vehicle purchased in the States was either an SUV or a truck. It would appear that large-sized vehicles are the new cars on the block.
Kia is more focused on EVs
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The other new cars on the block are electric. EVs can do a lot of what gas-powered sports cars do, but better. For example, their acceleration and torque often outpaces that of gas cars. The Stinger’s unofficial replacement, the Kia EV6 GT, can achieve 0 to 60 mph in a mere 3.4 seconds. That’s faster than the speediest Stinger variant, the 2023 Stinger GT2 AWD, which reaches 60 mph in 4.7 seconds. It’s even faster than many gas-powered sports cars that cost twice the price, such as the 2022 Mercedes-Benz AMG GT and its 0 to 60 mph record of 3.7 seconds.
If Kia is seeking to corner the affordable sports car market, it seems as if EVs are the way to go. That’s too bad for fans of the Stinger, but at least we can expect some new sporty sedans in an increasingly SUV-obsessed world.
