Will/would/have you rebadge(d) your Stinger?

[Nasscar]

Disappointing choices. I'd have created the poll like this:
DO YOU REBADGE OR KEEP THE STOCK KIA AND STINGER BADGES?

• Kept the KIA and other stock badges on my Stinger
• Swapped the stock badges (one or more of them) for a different Kia badge
• Kept the KIA badges: put "K" or some other skin over them (now or later)
• I might swap out the stock badges in the future (I don't care for skins)
• I like the look of different badges but won't risk damaging my paint by rebadging
• My Stinger has been (mostly) debadged because I like the "clean look"
• Stock badges are gone and what I replaced them with has nothing to do with KIA
• I change badges to suit my current mood
• Driving a KIA embarrasses me
• KIA ROCKS

You get two votes.

I voted "Something else" simply because "Skins" was not an option.

Too many choices to read Merlin. My head hurts now.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Too many choices to read Merlin. My head hurts now.

Lol. You're just impatient with polls. You need to "bond" with a poll.

 

[Nasscar]

Lol. You're just impatient with polls. You need to "bond" with a poll.

I really tried to bond but I fell asleep halfway through the list.

 

[CoreyGTS]

The Kia dealership where I got my GTS from rebadged all their Stingers to be like the Korean ones so I bought it rebadged.

 

[westcoastGT]

The Kia dealership where I got my GTS from rebadged all their Stingers to be like the Korean ones so I bought it rebadged.

Smart dealer !!

 

[MerlintheMad]

The Kia dealership where I got my GTS from rebadged all their Stingers to be like the Korean ones so I bought it rebadged.

That's another option on the poll: "My Stinger came already rebadged."

 

[NS_Stinger]

The Kia dealership where I got my GTS from rebadged all their Stingers to be like the Korean ones so I bought it rebadged.

Savages disrespecting KIA's honour.

 

[Kamauxx]

Savages disrespecting KIA's honour.

They are straight up traitors!

 

[AV8R]

The Kia dealership where I got my GTS from rebadged all their Stingers to be like the Korean ones so I bought it rebadged.

As far as I am aware, GTS was exclusive so they manufactured them with the korean badges, the dealer would not have done it.

 

[Coast GT]

As far as I am aware, GTS was exclusive so they manufactured them with the korean badges, the dealer would not have done it.

They should’ve done it to all of them to be consistent with the Korean version. Just like they should’ve included all the bits and pieces in every market rather than some bits in some markets and some in others.

 

[CoreyGTS]

As far as I am aware, GTS was exclusive so they manufactured them with the korean badges, the dealer would not have done it.

The GTS comes with the stinger badge on the rear yes, but, the front, rims and steering wheel have the Kia logo. My dealership changed all those out to the E Stinger badge.

 

[TomL1013]

I replaced all Kia badges. Front E badge, rear Stinger script, E center caps and swapped in a Korean air bag with the round E badge. I confuse so many people now.

 

[Kamauxx]

So its been about 30 hours since the poll was posted and the current results are:

75% have rebadged in one form or another.
3.8% are considering rebadging.
1.9% fears potential damage from rebadging.
19.2% remain stock.

What does this all mean?

 

[Nasscar]

Are you including the 'something else' vote in the yes or no?

 

[Kamauxx]

Are you including the 'something else' vote in the yes or no?

I included them in the "yes" category since they didn't select the option which explicitly states they have left the stock Kia badges in place.

Moving them to the "no" category would change it to 60% rebadged 34.6% stock.

 

[Nasscar]

I was never really sure what that category meant. Did it mean yes but not the badges mentioned. Who knows? Looks like an overwhelming win for the Yes vote.

 

[Kamauxx]

I was never really sure what that category meant. Did it mean yes but not the badges mentioned. Who knows? Looks like an overwhelming win for the Yes vote.

Some of the categories are weird/vague. I selected "Yes, I replaced the rear badge with the large Stinger script badge" but I could also select the "something else" option since my front badge is a circular OEM Kia Motors.

The easiest part of the poll to understand is that only 19% of the respondents won't/haven't/aren't contemplating rebadging.

 

[Flameangel]

I have a question for people that are so against rebadging with the KDM E badges. How do you feel about KIA rebadging the Stinger in the KDM? Do you think they're embarassed of their own brand so badly they hid the badges in their own country? I have a theory as to why they've done that. I believe that KIA thinks people would overlook and dismiss the car if they could clearly identify that the car is a KIA. They've added the badges in South Korea so at least people would take the time to ask and learn about the car before they see the badge and just dismiss it. I can't figure out why they didn't do the same elsewhere, unless they just wanted to test the waters in one market.

I have rebadged my car with the KDM oem badges. I love that people ask me what kind of car it is so I can tell them it's a KIA, it also opens up some dialogue so that I can tell them a little about the car, what kind of drivetrain it has and who was behind building and designing the car. That's my 2 cents at least.

I read the reason all imported cars shipped from SK to overseas countries have the "Kia " badge is simply because Kia means " to rise out of Asia " so they don't need to signify this in their own country so they have the " E " badge instead which stands for " Engineered with Excellence "

 

[Rynil2000]

I didn't see an options for "KDM E Badges" so I assumed that fell under "Something else" when voting.

I don't feel like changing the badges to the OEM badges should be considered 'shaming' the KIA badge. As far as I am concerned, the car is back to how the original designers envisioned it. The big oval KIA badges are gauche and detract from the lines of the car. I am not OK with repping some marketing team's ham-fisted approach to branding because they didn't want to explain to outside markets what their new 'E' badge meant, that the script Stinger logos would cost too much to include in all markets, or that somehow people outside of Korea needed to be bludgeoned with the fact that this was indeed a KIA (all my assumptions; short story - f*@& marketing teams).

The 'vintage K' badges look like a knock off Lexus. Sorry, not sorry. But anything is better than the KIA badge.

Keep that KIA billboard on your Sorento - this is a car with style.

 

[ScottM]

So its been about 30 hours since the poll was posted and the current results are:

75% have rebadged in one form or another.
3.8% are considering rebadging.
1.9% fears potential damage from rebadging.
19.2% remain stock.

What does this all mean?

Not a darn thing.