New Forbes Article - Stinger vs performance Icons

[GRStinger]

I’d argue BMW M cars, Audi S series, Mercedes AMG, Porsche GT cars, Dodge SRT, Ford Mustang GT 500, Chevy Z series, Cadillac V Spec are true halo cars. I’d prefer anyone of those halo cars over Stinger GT and I don’t believe I’m the only one who thinks this way.

I bought car more as a novelty than on its true merits.

[QUOTE="CaliSting, post: 128532, member: 2843"it was unknown oddball that not many had seen.[/QUOTE]

Yup, the word "oddball" also came to my mind reading this post.

 

[Stinger GT SS]

I think the comment “halo car” has been generalised here, @GRStinger stated that the “Kia Stinger is their halo car”.
For us here in OZ the Stinger fits perfectly in the large car segment for price & performance that the once Aussie built & now defunct Holden Commodore & Ford Falcons dominated.
The fact that this car is half the price for the same type of performance & tech as overpriced European counterparts here in OZ is a no brainer for most Aussies.

 

[MisterMac]

Well some creative intreputations of average sales for sure. Declining sales are declining sales in my book. For perspective Dodge Challenger/Charger sell over 10,000 units a month. BMW 3/4 Series sell 6000 units a month. With November Stinger sales plummeting to 1173 from a high of 1700 units ....and with 7 consecutive down months I’d expect Stinger sales trend to dip below 1000 December and 900 January. Not exactly numbers to justify investment in new gen Stinger . So Kia bean counters are likely to cancel this car next or following year.

Whatever your field of expertise is you should stick to that, because this isn't it.

 

[CaliSting]

Kia bean counters shipped a new generation of K900 even though dealerships in the US still had brand new 2016s on their lot.

Don't overestimate their levels of common sense.

...in all seriousness Kia has a huge market OUTSIDE of the US. US sales don't matter as much to them as you seem to think.

Lol. Us market for Stinger is their biggest market by far. Stinger isn’t a hit in China - sold 4 in Oct 18. Europe Stinger sales is a couple hundred a month. Asia not much more. US is huge market for them in this new segment. Not so much in rest of the world.

http://pr.kia.com/file/downloadBlb.do?fil_sn=F200011601

....Data is best over opinion.

I’ll bet on Stinger going away in favor of some kind of a sporty sedan hybrid. Suspect they will let Stinger die. Only strong brands will offer “internal combustion only” cars in near future. Part of reason Chevy is chucking all their traditional cars. Hell even Porsche is making 911 hybrid in near future.

 

[CaliSting]

I suspect Stinger will fall is ranks of cars like these we have seen from Asia over decades. GT cars from Asia have had spotted past in traditional US markets regardless of brand. For their time they were very cool cars as well. I’d say even more revolutionary than Stinger.


70s era Mazda GT sedan

80s era failed Mitsubishi GT sedan

90s era failed Subaru GT

Mazda tries again in 2005 with AWD Turbo GT sedan. ...fails again. So sad as it was a cool car. The big 2.3 turbo 4 motor was a torque monster like Stinger. And it had manual 6 speed!

....And now Korea’s turn

Hyundai Genesis RIP

And Stinger 2020 RIP. ...and no I don’t think rear doors will save Stinger.

 

[Stinger GT SS]

How have Kia Optima GT sales been in the US, last time I was there in 2016 I saw a lot in Texas especially in & around the DFW area, so they seem popular & I would assume the Stinger would be the next progression.

 

[CaliSting]

How have Kia Optima GT sales been in the US, last time I was there in 2016 I saw a lot in Texas especially in & around the DFW area, so they seem popular & I would assume the Stinger would be the next progression.

Optima on way to over 95K unit sales in US. Very popular car. Don’t think Stinger translates to typical optima buyer. Reason why 4 cylinder Stinger doesn’t do well.

 

[Stinger GT SS]

Optima on way to over 95K unit sales in US. Very popular car. Don’t think it translates to typical optima buyer. Reason why 4 cylinder Stinger doesn’t do well.

That’s what I thought with Optima & in my opinion the 3.3L Stinger is next progression with maybe a hybrid option in the next generation. But in the end SUV’s are currently the flavour of the month so until that trend wanes all sedans are at risk of extinction.

 

[CaliSting]

The new wave of EVs like Porsche Taycan , Audi E Tron and all others in 2020 to 2022 are huge jumps forward in terms of car industry. Buyers are going to see huge wave of electrics in 2020 through 2023. Stingers design compared to new wave of 2020 cars looks like Stone Age. Chevy and Ford see wave coming and are getting ready . Kia seems to be lagging - I just can’t see a big twin turbo V6 sedan surviving in new wave of cars we will see in next 2 to 4 years. Stinger chassis and design structures are rather archaic and won’t lend themselves well to electric or hybrid.

 

[Stinger GT SS]

You always mention cars that the average Joe does not own nor afford ie: Porsche & Audi.
Electric/Hyrbrid cars ie: Prius, Camry, Volt & Leaf how are they selling?
Biggest selling vehicles currently here in OZ at the moment are dual cab pickups: Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger, Holden Colorado, Nissan Navara & VW Amarok just to name a few & they are all Diesel.
FYI, Best selling cars in Australia - Best selling cars in Australia

 

[GRStinger]

The new wave of EVs like Porsche Taycan , Audi E Tron and all others in 2020 to 2022 are huge jumps forward in terms of car industry. Buyers are going to see huge wave of electrics in 2020 through 2023. Stingers design compared to new wave of 2020 cars looks like Stone Age. Chevy and Ford see wave coming and are getting ready . Kia seems to be lagging - I just can’t see a big twin turbo V6 sedan surviving in new wave of cars we will see in next 2 to 4 years. Stinger chassis and design structures are rather archaic and won’t lend themselves well to electric or hybrid.

Wow, dude. Based your posts you must be the most sullen Stinger owner on the planet. (if indeed you are an owner)

If I were you I’d sell the thing and head over to the “Former Stinger Owners Forum” and start the “All The Cars I Like Better” thread.

 

[CaliSting]

Wow, dude. Based your posts you must be the most sullen Stinger owner on the planet. (if indeed you are an owner)

If I were you I’d sell the thing and head over to the “Former Stinger Owners Forum” and start the “All The Cars I Like Better” thread.

Nope just not emotionally attached to my cars like some on this board. My outlook isn’t shaped by car I drive which gives me freedom to be objective. But guess that’s what happens when you own 40 plus cars over 40 years. I’d put Stinger in top 10 of all cars I have owned so it’s not too bad but it’s not magical unicorn dust that some be huffing on this forum.

I do see value in Stinger and it makes a great long distance commute car for me. Although gas mileage sucks. My Dodge Durango RT gets close to what I get on my hilly commute as I need to dip into boost on mountain roads.

 

[CaliSting]

You always mention cars that the average Joe does not own nor afford ie: Porsche & Audi.
Electric/Hyrbrid cars ie: Prius, Camry, Volt & Leaf how are they selling?
Biggest selling vehicles currently here in OZ at the moment are dual cab pickups: Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger, Holden Colorado, Nissan Navara & VW Amarok just to name a few & they are all Diesel.
FYI, Best selling cars in Australia - Best selling cars in Australia

World is different in California. Many of the Average Joes or Jill’s here make 6 figure salaries and can afford to drive an Audi, BMW, Porsche or a Tesla. Parking lots are filled with them in SF Bay Area. Also those cars here are less expensive than in many other places in world. Median income in California is almost $20K USD more than in Australia. We have nearly million millionaires in California.

And OMG! ... just looked up my same Porsche 911 T in Australia. They are almost twice as much as in USA. Almost $200k USD for entry level 911! I could get a fully optioned GT3 RS for that price in US!

Read this your government is screwing you too. Why Australians pay too much for cars

 

[Stinger GT SS]

Population of California 40mil, population of Australia 25mil.
All the vehicles you mention are less expensive in the US for the reason of population & consumerism, US gets the cheaper pricing = higher volume sales = rest of world subsidises your low pricing & if you believe that doesn’t happen you are delusional.
Your obviously a Porsche guy, did Porsche sell 15,000 911’s in the US this year? If not does that also make it an abject failure?
Us Aussies don’t need to be told about our Govt. taxes we are screwed in all facets of life, let alone taxes on cars, funny though the prices supposedly have drop since manufacturing here ceased.
Luxury car tax rate and thresholds

 

[Dan1028]

 

[MisterMac]

Population of California 40mil, population of Australia 25mil.
All the vehicles you mention are less expensive in the US for the reason of population & consumerism, US gets the cheaper pricing = higher volume sales = rest of world subsidises your low pricing & if you believe that doesn’t happen you are delusional.
Your obviously a Porsche guy, did Porsche sell 15,000 911’s in the US this year? If not does that also make it an abject failure?
Us Aussies don’t need to be told about our Govt. taxes we are screwed in all facets of life, let alone taxes on cars, funny though the prices supposedly have drop since manufacturing here ceased.
Luxury car tax rate and thresholds

There are many factors, such as exchange rate and transport, which drive the price
Differential between countries, but subsidizing another market is not one of them. Lol

 

[jatleson]

Kia bean counters shipped a new generation of K900 even though dealerships in the US still had brand new 2016s on their lot.

Don't overestimate their levels of common sense.

...in all seriousness Kia has a huge market OUTSIDE of the US. US sales don't matter as much to them as you seem to think.

Bingo. The Stinger brings a new market into their USA dealerships. I don't dare go to a Kia dealer on a Saturday because they are packed selling Optimas, Souls or whatever. All good cars, but not what interests me. The fact that Kia has a demographic, like me, wanting to look at (and buy) their product means it will stick around. Like others have noted, it takes time to build a market share in new segments.

Unfortunately a lot of the Stinger market is about image. Do you honestly think most BMW/MB/Audi owners buy the car for the way it drives? No, it is image. Once a Stinger shows up at the country club/law firm/accounting firm/doctor's parking lot, people talk, look, ask questions, get interested.

The biggest hurdle Kia will need to address to really get Stingers and possibly the K900 moving is the buying/dealership/ownership experience. Part of the image of the luxury brands is the ownership experience. Nice loaner car for all service appointments, nice lounge if waiting, free car wash when you stop by, professional well trained technicians, no questions about warranty or quality defects of the vehicle. These are expectations of the Stinger market and valid expectations if you are buying a vehicle with a MSRP of 50k+.

The Stinger is a great car - same level as the upscale market it competes with. But it takes more than a great car, it takes image/perception, to sell high volumes in this segment.

 

[Kamauxx]

Bingo. The Stinger brings a new market into their USA dealerships. I don't dare go to a Kia dealer on a Saturday because they are packed selling Optimas, Souls or whatever. All good cars, but not what interests me. The fact that Kia has a demographic, like me, wanting to look at (and buy) their product means it will stick around. Like others have noted, it takes time to build a market share in new segments.

Unfortunately a lot of the Stinger market is about image. Do you honestly think most BMW/MB/Audi owners buy the car for the way it drives? No, it is image. Once a Stinger shows up at the country club/law firm/accounting firm/doctor's parking lot, people talk, look, ask questions, get interested.

The biggest hurdle Kia will need to address to really get Stingers and possibly the K900 moving is the buying/dealership/ownership experience. Part of the image of the luxury brands is the ownership experience. Nice loaner car for all service appointments, nice lounge if waiting, free car wash when you stop by, professional well trained technicians, no questions about warranty or quality defects of the vehicle. These are expectations of the Stinger market and valid expectations if you are buying a vehicle with a MSRP of 50k+.

The Stinger is a great car - same level as the upscale market it competes with. But it takes more than a great car, it takes image/perception, to sell high volumes in this segment.

Well said.

 

[MisterMac]

World is different in California. Many of the Average Joes or Jill’s here make 6 figure salaries and can afford to drive an Audi, BMW, Porsche or a Tesla. Parking lots are filled with them in SF Bay Area. Also those cars here are less expensive than in many other places in world. Median income in California is almost $20K USD more than in Australia. We have nearly million millionaires in California.

And OMG! ... just looked up my same Porsche 911 T in Australia. They are almost twice as much as in USA. Almost $200k USD for entry level 911! I could get a fully optioned GT3 RS for that price in US!

Read this your government is screwing you too. Why Australians pay too much for cars

Kia already died once, but the Korean government called upon Hyundai to save it through purchase.

The Stinger is the first real cog in the wheel to create a new line of performance vehicles by Hyundai, underneath the Kia umbrella (think "E").

Years were put into its design. The Stinger baby will not be thrown out with the bath water, so to speak.

The Kia Stinger is a highly strategic step for Hyundai. It will not die anytime soon. It will continue to be engineered with excellence.

It is meant to be Exclusive, Exquisite, and Evolutionary. Not even close to everybody will have one. But, those that do...

 

[TwinSnails]

I thought it was pretty sad I pulled through a Hyundai dealership yesterday and 3 sales people didn’t even know what the Stinger was.

You should at least know what Kia’s are available if you work for the parent company.