Kia Stinger falls victim to the sedeanpocolypse

https://www.thedrive.com/news/41598/kia-stinger-dead-in-2022-report

According to the Korean Car Blog, Stinger production will end by Q2 2022, citing "local industry sources" pointing to 2022 South Korean production plans released by the company last Friday. These plans allegedly say that the Sohari plant in which the Stinger is produced will no longer build the sedan starting in the second quarter of next year. The blog also states that the Stinger was originally intended to be built until 2024.

Example #2578 of "Automaker builds a great enthusiast car and nobody buys it".

In reply to ProDarwin :

I agree, and I didn't buy one when I was shopping in 2019, but I still has a sad.  Though I did my part by buying a wagon instead.

Stinger prices are nuts now especially used. I love mine. Looking forward to the performance aftermarket prices to drop for the Stinger for me to grab since it's going to be discontinued. 

I thought by this point in my life I'd be looking at something like the Stinger. Instead, we had to deal with medical debt, loss of an income for 6 months, loss of that income after 6 more months due to a global pandemic, loss of my side-gig for a year due to the global pandemic, and that we've gotten through all that (barring delta getting worse/mutating into something worse), we have absolutely insane car prices both new and used and the cars I want to buy, I now cannot afford.

My dad used to be helping the cause - he bought a new G37, then GTI - but he didn't really like either of them and is now dailying an E30. So much for that. 

Oh well, at least the new SUVs, Minivans, and Trucks are stupendous. When I get back into motorsports, it may be in carts. 

In reply to mtn :

Well, At least you've got a cool Dad.

My wife test drove the Stinger as a potential replacement to the Speed 3.  She found the visibility to be very poor and passed.

There's also the challenge of convincing the general public that a Kia badge makes sense on something trying to be a premium sports sedan.

To be honest, I am amazed anyone is able to sell a sedan anymore. I wouldn't buy a sedan cause you just lose so much space.

Personally I just wish wagons existed in the US or even manual transmission CUVs (cause with a drop they are basically wagons at that point).

In reply to 93EXCivic :

A sedan works for 98% of the traveling I need to do.

And while it does not hold really large volume, single items like furniture, the out-of-sight, locked security of a sedan's trunk can definitely be an advantage rather than trying to hide valuable items under a little cargo cover while hoping for the best.

And this is speaking as a wagon owner.

John Welsh said:

This ^^^^

The Stinger was a pretty good sports sedan with a giant hatchback! I considered it before buying my Fusion, but at the end of the day, the Fusion was much cheaper with discounts, and I, too, had trouble with the idea of paying $40k-plus for a Kia.

I commend that the Koreans are trying harder than any other manufacturer right now.  Trying by giving us many interesting combinations.  Some stick, and some don't.  Do you know you could get a manual trans 4cyl Stinger?  But, likely that not many really sold.  

I continue to ask all of you who can and will to buy as many of these as you can.  That will make it easier for me when I follow my usual path of trying to find a 10 year old example with about 75k miles on it.  I know, I am not the "new car shopper" but I look forward to being the "used car shopper."

I wish no personal ill will to any of the people who bought them new but some steep depreciation would really work to my favor too!

In reply to Duke :

I mean that is fair but I think for me and a large portion of the US the space is just more important. Fitting a bike in the back of a sedan is just a pain in the ass.

Of course i am also getting an ND Miata sometime in the near future. 

^Do people do this?

The last thing I would want to do after riding is transfer all the mud and dirt to the interior of my $40k car.

In reply to ProDarwin :

I do it if I am going to eat after riding or if I am going riding after work to keep my bike inside the car rather then on a rack. But I also drive an Element so a bit easier to clean.

John Welsh said:

Ok that is a pretty big hatch.

TBH I knew nothing about Stinger other then it was expensive, built by Kia and there was a fast version.

ProDarwin said:

^Do people do this?

The last thing I would want to do after riding is transfer all the mud and dirt to the interior of my $40k car.

I do, I don't have a $40k car at the moment but all my vehicles are utility vehicles for me. I don't enjoy worrying about them and I've found that  my posterior and elbow will wear out the seat and arm rest before cleaning the back of the car from stupid things I tossed in there wears it out.  Mechanically I keep my vehicles nice but plastics around trunks and hatches are going to have scratches on them.

In reply to John Welsh :

Pshh 300zx's have been doing that for ages... but for realzies thats alot of space. More like a sedagon but not the county fair demo derby car version. 

ProDarwin said:

^Do people do this?

The last thing I would want to do after riding is transfer all the mud and dirt to the interior of my $40k car.

You should buy a $90,000 pickup truck. 

John Welsh said:

 Do you know you could get a manual trans 4cyl Stinger? 

I'm fairly certain the Stinger was never offered with a manual transmission, even with the 4 cylinder. The 4 cyl/manual combo could be had on it's platform twin the Genesis G70 for awhile, but I think that powertrain combo is being killed off as well.

I use a tarp when I throw my dirty bike in the back of my fit. Damn shame the Stinger is going bye bye since a good chunk of the Kia sedans left and so freaking ugly.

I think Kia would do better to make something like a cheaper FRS/BRZ or Miata, or even a sporty two door hatchback like the Veloster. The problem was that at $40k for the Stinger, a Dodge Charger, stretching for a BMW, a WRX, and a few others cars offered better resale based on brand than the Kia. 

If the Stinger started at $25k and topped out at say, $33k, I think it would've faired differently. 

The Telluride has been a smash hit, I see them everywhere. 

I'm actually genuinely interested in the Carnival. 

pheller said:

I think Kia would do better to make something like a cheaper FRS/BRZ or Miata, or even a sporty two door hatchback like the Veloster. The problem was that at $40k for the Stinger, a Dodge Charger, stretching for a BMW, a WRX, and a few others cars offered better resale based on brand than the Kia. 

If the Stinger started at $25k and topped out at say, $33k, I think it would've faired differently. 

 

If the Stinger started at $25k, it would have been an Optima, and we would have said "meh" about it. This is a combination of being one of those things where people are stuck in 2000 pricing in their head ($40k in 2000 is $63k today; $25k in 2000 is $40k today), and people not wanting a sedan or hatchback. 

And based on sales of the BRZ/Miata/Veloster, I don't think they'd want to do that. Telluride is selling like hotcakes. I want one. My wife wants one. We know a lot of people looking at Kia. They're just not looking at sedans.