Kia Stinger to be discontinued after 2022 model year?

The Kia Stinger has been rumoured to be on the chopping block due to falling demand, according to Korean Car Blog via Motor1. The report from the car’s native Korea cites unnamed local industry sources, which say that the Sohari Plant in Gwangmyeong that currently produces the Stinger will be retooled for mass production of a hybrid Kia Carnival, it said.

The report should be taken with a grain of salt, however, as the Stinger facelift had been revealed last August, then going on to make its United States debut in March of this year. A complete discontinuation of the rear-wheel-drive fastback is therefore unlikely, and production could continue, albeit at lower volumes at other sites, according to the report.

That said, sales volumes for the Stinger has been soft, with just 13,861 units having found homes in the United States in 2019. Pandemic conditions worsened the situation in 2020, when 12,556 units were sold; the global electronic chip shortage experienced by the industry this year meant that year-to-date sales of the Stinger through June 2021 have improved by just 147 units.

2022 Kia Stinger Scorpion Edition

Technical updates for the facelifted Stinger includes a range of new and revised engines, courtesy of a 300 hp/422 Nm 2.5 litre Smartstream 2.5 litre four-cylinder T-GDi unit that succeeds the previous 2.0 litre Theta engine, and a revision of the existing 3.3 litre turbo petrol V6 that benefits from a variable exhaust system with improved flow, yielding 368 hp (+3 hp) and 510 Nm of torque.

The 2.5 litre Smartstream-powered Stinger attains a 0-100 km/h time of 5.2 seconds, while the 3.3 litre turbo V6 completes the same sprint in 4.7 seconds. Both choices of engine for the Stinger facelift are paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, and can be specified with either rear- or all-wheel-drive.

In terms of active safety, the latest iteration of the Stinger packs an advanced driver assistance systems suite that includes Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with Junction Turning, Safe Exit Warning, Blind Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist, Rear Cross Traffic Avoidance Assist, navigation-based Smart Cruise Control, Lane Following Assist and Highway Driving Assist. More recently, a limited-run Scorpion Special Edition was introduced for the US market last month.

GALLERY: 2022 Kia Stinger facelift, US market