Will Kia feel pressure to change its name , or add a premium tier ?

[Euljiro1ga]

WTF, who thought of that!?!?!?!?! Surely, I'm not the target demographic for the Soul.

 

[westcoastGT]

WTF, who thought of that!?!?!?!?! Surely, I'm not the target demographic for the Soul.

I'LD SAY IF YOU DIDNT SEE IT , YOU'RE SAFE

 

[Kia Stinger]

Here's how you launched a luxury brand in 1989:

Here's a Kia commercial in 2017:

Here's how you introduce a luxury brand today:

I just don't see Kia being taken very seriously with a luxury brand any time soon...

 

[Kia Stinger]

WTF, who thought of that!?!?!?!?! Surely, I'm not the target demographic for the Soul.

I think it did help sell a LOT of cars for Kia. It did good for them. But it's going to be a tough image to move away from. Keep in mind how long people hold onto feelings about car brands. People STILL talk about the Cadillac Cimarron...

 

[westcoastGT]

I think it did help sell a LOT of cars for Kia. It did good for them. But it's going to be a tough image to move away from. Keep in mind how long people hold onto feelings about car brands. People STILL talk about the Cadillac Cimarron...

well at least Kia makes really good cars , quality is never out of style , always cool ,...............and desirable ................now pls gas the Hamsters !

 

[Euljiro1ga]

Oh wow that Lexus's commercial, still impressive in my eyes today.

Looks like just having great products ain't enough in today's competitive market and in the era of very informed consumers.

If Kia is going to be a spin off brand, they better fully move away from the Kia brand. Meaning, not sharing the showrooms with Kia. That's something I did not appreciate Hyundai doing with the Genesis brand. I don't have a problem with sharing Hyundai service centers though, just the buying experience was too... Hyundai.

 

[Kia Stinger]

Yes, that Lexus advertisement told you exactly what to expect. A silent interior and a smooth ride like no other automobile in the business...

This didn't work very well for Infiniti - and I can't even find a decent video - that's how lackluster their commercials were. What does it really tell you? What does it do that a BMW 7-Series doesn't do?

 

[bluecatsup]

If the Hyundai Genesis spawned the Genesis luxury brand, will Kia Stinger spawn the Stinger brand?

 

[Kia Stinger]

If the Hyundai Genesis spawned the Genesis luxury brand, will Kia Stinger spawn the Stinger brand?

Welcome aboard, @bluecatsup! Thank you for signing up! I'm thinking they'd LIKE to start a luxury sub brand but I don't see it happening right away. They're still running Hamster commercials here in 2017 and I think that would be a pretty big hill to climb to have what is supposed to be a prestigious luxury brand along side that...

 

[westcoastGT]

Welcome aboard, @bluecatsup! Thank you for signing up! I'm thinking they'd LIKE to start a luxury sub brand but I don't see it happening right away. They're still running Hamster commercials here in 2017 and I think that would be a pretty big hill to climb to have what is supposed to be a prestigious luxury brand along side that...

Iagree , they've stuck their toe into this strategy with the E badge/sub brand , given the degree of current owner interest in "rebadging" to E suggests they may need to consider fleshing out the notion to address a broader portfolio stategy.....................but hey , who knows

 

[jburns]

arghhhh , nigtmares !!

Maybe they will do a Stinger campaign using wolverines.

 

[Dick Dastardly]

I am not so sure about the need for a specific sub-brand. Here in the UK only specific dealers are allowed to handle the Stinger, and within the dealership only specially trained staff. Numbers of cars are limited (12 per dealer) to keep exclusivity and higher residuals.
The dealers they have chosen are top end, nice franchised buildings. I think they are going to use the Stinger to pull the KIA brand upwards in peoples perception rather than create a whole new brand.
I have chosen a KIA over Alfa / Audi / BMW already, in a few years time many more will follow. Badge snobbery is only for the sheep.

 

[Kia Stinger]

I am not so sure about the need for a specific sub-brand. Here in the UK only specific dealers are allowed to handle the Stinger, and within the dealership only specially trained staff. Numbers of cars are limited (12 per dealer) to keep exclusivity and higher residuals.
The dealers they have chosen are top end, nice franchised buildings. I think they are going to use the Stinger to pull the KIA brand upwards in peoples perception rather than create a whole new brand.
I have chosen a KIA over Alfa / Audi / BMW already, in a few years time many more will follow. Badge snobbery is only for the sheep.

The smart dealerships in America will do there same where either only the most qualified dealers or sales people will work with customers on the Stinger. As for badge snobbery, here in the U.S. we got a good taste of understanding back in 1989 with Lexus. Not everybody is convinced but most people are aware that the playing field has leveled for most vehicles and brands. There's pretty much no beating Mercedes-Benz at anything they set their minds to. And, of course, not everybody who buys a top tier vehicle does so for the brand. Many people simply like the vehicle...

 

[ralzod]

It was a fine ad campaign and I think it brought them a lot of attention from the customers they were targeting.

I agree. I think it was well suited for what they were selling at the time, and did bring them a lot of attention. Times have changed, and they do need to pull themselves up by the bootstraps to compete in the high-end/luxo space, but that doesn't have to mean past marketing was a bad idea.

I believe this was the original US campaign commercial:

And, for @Euljiro1ga, this would have been the KDM equivalent:

 

[westcoastGT]

I must be rodent phobic , never liked the campaign and it will be tough for upscale "potential" buyers to forget it I think ......................

 

[BDR Racing Development]

It was a fine ad campaign and I think it brought them a lot of attention from the customers they were targeting. But Hyundai did not have to overcome this...

True...but to be fair Hyundai still lives with this one lol

 

[jburns]

I am not so sure about the need for a specific sub-brand. Here in the UK only specific dealers are allowed to handle the Stinger, and within the dealership only specially trained staff. Numbers of cars are limited (12 per dealer) to keep exclusivity and higher residuals.
The dealers they have chosen are top end, nice franchised buildings. I think they are going to use the Stinger to pull the KIA brand upwards in peoples perception rather than create a whole new brand.
I have chosen a KIA over Alfa / Audi / BMW already, in a few years time many more will follow. Badge snobbery is only for the sheep.

KIA did the exact same thing here with the K900. It didn't work.

 

[Kia Stinger]

KIA did the exact same thing here with the K900. It didn't work.

The Stinger will do a MUCH better job at getting Kia noticed. The K900 class is a dying breed...

 

[bluecatsup]

Honestly though, when I get the Stinger I will be rebadging it to say just "Stinger" stylized at the back, like the Korean models. I will keep the front Kia badge, but the back looks better and simpler with the Korean version. Of course this won't be for a while as Im waiting for my lease to be done (two more years sadly).

 

[Habu968]

Hi, thanks for the welcome.
I currently drive a VW Golf R - a real pocket rocket.
Just want something now with more room and a bit more refined - must be an age thing.
Funnily enough when I paid £30+K for a Golf everyone thought I was crazy (again brand perception) but now everyone raves about the R and price is never mentioned.

That is funny, I currently have a Golf R and am very interested in the Stinger. I do like the fact that with the Golf, only those who really know cars understand what it is. I suspect the Stinger will be the same way. Those that own one or are shopping one will know immediately, but to everyone else, they just think it is just another Kia......