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Regrettably, the Kia Stinger never gained as much traction as anticipated—there’s a good chance many individuals may have overlooked its existence altogether. However, it appears its days might be numbered, as reports from South Korea suggest the Stinger’s fate is sealed, and it’s been given a timeline of six months.
This insight comes from a report in the South Korean business publication Hankyung, which indicated that Kia will cease production of the model come April. We got in touch with Kia for confirmation, and the Kia representative James Bell seemed to validate the rumor: “We were aware that its days were numbered, but the timeline was uncertain.” He also committed to providing further confirmation and updates later in the day.
2022 Kia Stinger GT. Kia
Initial speculation hinted at its discontinuation in 2022 due to sluggish sales, yet the Stinger has persevered into the 2023 model year. Nevertheless, its sales figures have remained disappointing, amounting to 6,643 units in Q3 compared to 10,377 during the same period last year—a 36% decline from an already modest figure. Even the struggling Chevrolet Camaro, often considered to be on a downward trajectory due to poor sales, has managed to outsell the Stinger by more than threefold this year.
The Kia Rio surpasses Stinger sales by a comparable margin, while Kia’s top-selling model, the Sportage, outperforms the Stinger by a staggering ratio of over 13 to 1. In total, the Stinger contributes less than 1.3% to Kia’s sales in the United States. The challenges have intensified for this high-performance sedan to maintain profitability, particularly at a time when Kia places greater emphasis on electric vehicles than on a niche, slow-selling internal combustion engine model—especially considering the EV6 is already outselling the Stinger by nearly threefold. If that’s not a clear indication of the changing times, then what is?
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