Kia Stinger was not intended to be a profit maker

[Kia Stinger News]

Kia's new Stinger sedan will be the first car it has brought to market knowing that it won't make a profit.

Traditionally, the South Korean company has been a volume manufacturer, producing well-built and affordable models that are backed up by a seven-year warranty.

However, the new Stinger is intended to be more of an aspirational product, designed to change people's perceptions about the brand.

Ian Mathews, head of product planning at Kia UK, said: "We do see it [the Stinger] as being a brand builder rather than a profit generator.

It is powered by a 3.3-litre twin-turbocharged V6 that develops 365bhp and 510Nm of torque, allowing for a 0-60mph time of 4.7 seconds and a 168mph top speed.

When asked if the Stinger was something of a vanity project for Kia, Mathews replied: "I wouldn?t describe it that way but it is our flagship car and a brand builder.

"We know that if the car is a success they will do another one. We are also optimistic that they might make a slightly lower priced, smaller engineered coupe in the future as well, which has been hinted at and we may see further down the line."

Read more at Shropshire Star Motors.

 

[stinger1168]

Hey KIA! Here's what you need to do! SERIOUSLY!!! Take the existing platform of this Stinger and, in addition to the Stinger, MAKE AN AFFORDABLE PERFORMANCE SUV!!! An affordable version of the Alfa Romeo Stelvio or Porsche Cayenne or Jaguar F-Pace etc etc... Hyundai/Genesis is doing a LUX version to compete with the equivalent Mercedes, BMW and Audi so KIA should go down the sporty route. It would be like BMW taking the 5 series sedan and making the X5 suv with it.

 

[CajunStinger]

Hey KIA! Here's what you need to do! SERIOUSLY!!! Take the existing platform of this Stinger and, in addition to the Stinger, MAKE AN AFFORDABLE PERFORMANCE SUV!!! An affordable version of the Alfa Romeo Stelvio or Porsche Cayenne or Jaguar F-Pace etc etc... Hyundai/Genesis is doing a LUX version to compete with the equivalent Mercedes, BMW and Audi so KIA should go down the sporty route. It would be like BMW taking the 5 series sedan and making the X5 suv with it.

They intend to, Genesis already has an SUV concept based on this platform. They can always bump up the horsepower to accommodate the added weight with a simple tune.

 

[Stingin' Away]

[MENTION=127]stinger1168[/MENTION] and [MENTION=160]CajunStinger[/MENTION], have you gawked at the Stelvio or F-Pace? Those would definitely be a contender for my DD if I didn't want a sedan in a few years

 

[CajunStinger]

[MENTION=127]stinger1168[/MENTION] and [MENTION=160]CajunStinger[/MENTION], have you gawked at the Stelvio or F-Pace? Those would definitely be a contender for my DD if I didn't want a sedan in a few years

I've seen the F-Pace but not the Stelvio in person. Both brands aren't known for reliability which makes me somewhat hesitant to buying them. On top of that, replacement parts are going to be expensive too once the warranty runs out.

 

[stinger1168]

[MENTION=127]stinger1168[/MENTION] and [MENTION=160]CajunStinger[/MENTION], have you gawked at the Stelvio or F-Pace? Those would definitely be a contender for my DD if I didn't want a sedan in a few years

I was SERIOUSLY considering an F-Pace. To me, that is the BEST LOOKING suv out there! Of course the one I want is $70k but hey, whatever... The exterior is spectacular!!! The interior is nice but has some issues. I would rather the engine had two turbos rather than a blower for fuel economy reasons but I can live with the blower. And I had hoped the AWD system on the Jag had center and rear limited slip diffs but it doesn't have them. I think the system is similar to the Stingers actually, which isn't bad but for a vehicle that hits 70 large, I expected LSD's. Also, I had hoped the Jag went a little quicker. The interior is where a lot of car magazines and reviewers complain. It's nice enough but that's where Jag cut corners with a few things. No cooled seats. The Stinger has that. The center stack is a little too retro looking for me and the HUD on the Jaguar XE which I believe is the same as the F-Pace as they share platforms, BLINKS the speed if you go over local speed limits which is big time distracting. Who knows, the Stinger may do that too. I get EVERYTHING I want in the fully loaded Stinger for $20k less than the similarly equipped F-Pace and maybe insurance will be a little less too. The Alfa Stelvio is very nice too. It is a looker! It seems smaller than the F-Pace but I think it's a better performer. I'll have to look that up... Porsche make a mean suv too. I had a ride in a Cayenne on a race track (Exotics Racing in Vegas) and with 5 people in it, I was amazed how well that thing handled... NO $h!t!!! LOL Those three suv's (F-Pace, Stelvio and Macan/Cayenne) are the reason I made the comment I did in the other thread about the Stinger not being built to make money. I think KIA is out of their freakin' minds if they don't build a performance suv on the Stingers platform to compete with the others for an affordable price. Genesis is doing it but it will be a LUX suv. KIA should do a performance suv. Sorry, I digress...

 

[Stingin' Away]

I was SERIOUSLY considering an F-Pace. To me, that is the BEST LOOKING suv out there! Of course the one I want is $70k but hey, whatever... The exterior is spectacular!!! The interior is nice but has some issues. I would rather the engine had two turbos rather than a blower for fuel economy reasons but I can live with the blower. And I had hoped the AWD system on the Jag had center and rear limited slip diffs but it doesn't have them. I think the system is similar to the Stingers actually, which isn't bad but for a vehicle that hits 70 large, I expected LSD's. Also, I had hoped the Jag went a little quicker. The interior is where a lot of car magazines and reviewers complain. It's nice enough but that's where Jag cut corners with a few things. No cooled seats. The Stinger has that. The center stack is a little too retro looking for me and the HUD on the Jaguar XE which I believe is the same as the F-Pace as they share platforms, BLINKS the speed if you go over local speed limits which is big time distracting. Who knows, the Stinger may do that too. I get EVERYTHING I want in the fully loaded Stinger for $20k less than the similarly equipped F-Pace and maybe insurance will be a little less too. The Alfa Stelvio is very nice too. It is a looker! It seems smaller than the F-Pace but I think it's a better performer. I'll have to look that up... Porsche make a mean suv too. I had a ride in a Cayenne on a race track (Exotics Racing in Vegas) and with 5 people in it, I was amazed how well that thing handled... NO $h!t!!! LOL Those three suv's (F-Pace, Stelvio and Macan/Cayenne) are the reason I made the comment I did in the other thread about the Stinger not being built to make money. I think KIA is out of their freakin' minds if they don't build a performance suv on the Stingers platform to compete with the others for an affordable price. Genesis is doing it but it will be a LUX suv. KIA should do a performance suv. Sorry, I digress...

I wouldn't have been buying one new. The depreciation on them the first 2 years are borderline illegal. Alike, the GMC Yukon is just under $100k new. They're going in the high $60's-70k !!! A certified F-Pace or Stelvio will be close to that depression w/loaded trim levels. I would never buy a new car unless I plan on keeping it 5+ years. The Stinger is the first I'm considering. I was tempted to lease a hellcat when they were having $500/month lease deals. The lady didn't like that lol

Good to share some other interests besides the Stinger. You have impressive taste, good sir

 

[Stingin' Away]

I've seen the F-Pace but not the Stelvio in person. Both brands aren't known for reliability which makes me somewhat hesitant to buying them. On top of that, replacement parts are going to be expensive too once the warranty runs out.

I would only be keeping for the duration of the bumper-to-bumper or certified warranties. I do agree with you

 

[stinger1168]

I wouldn't have been buying one new. The depreciation on them the first 2 years are borderline illegal. Alike, the GMC Yukon is just under $100k new. They're going in the high $60's-70k !!! A certified F-Pace or Stelvio will be close to that depression w/loaded trim levels. I would never buy a new car unless I plan on keeping it 5+ years. The Stinger is the first I'm considering. I was tempted to lease a hellcat when they were having $500/month lease deals. The lady didn't like that lol

Good to share some other interests besides the Stinger. You have impressive taste, good sir

Thanks for the compliment I too am a used car guy myself. The problem with the F-Pace was it was all new. So there were no used ones to go after. Next year there should be some. I too like all kinds of cars. I love the Stinger because it's the one car that has almost everything I'm looking for. Looks, performance, comfort, hatchback, relative affordability, etc, etc... It's the kind of car that enthusiasts have been wanting for a long time but no one would build on affordable terms. But, like I said, I like all kinds of cars. Too many to list. Old and new. There's all kinds of websites out there for all kinds of cars. Including future cars. Carscoops.com, jalopnick.com are a couple and of course, motortrend.com and caranddriver.com are good places to start.

 

[Stingin' Away]

Thanks for the compliment I too am a used car guy myself. The problem with the F-Pace was it was all new. So there were no used ones to go after. Next year there should be some. I too like all kinds of cars. I love the Stinger because it's the one car that has almost everything I'm looking for. Looks, performance, comfort, hatchback, relative affordability, etc, etc... It's the kind of car that enthusiasts have been wanting for a long time but no one would build on affordable terms. But, like I said, I like all kinds of cars. Too many to list. Old and new. There's all kinds of websites out there for all kinds of cars. Including future cars. Carscoops.com, jalopnick.com are a couple and of course, motortrend.com and caranddriver.com are good places to start.

Car and Driver, Road and Track, and a bit of Motor Trend are my daily doses of indulging in the car world lol the Stinger is going to be a hit and I'm glad KIA is the company that had it in them to produce such a car!

 

[SeoulStinger]

Kia needs to add several more non-profit models to help uplift the brand's image to performance car maker.