2021 Kia Stinger Facelift Midcycle Redesign

[ballistic]

at least we know for sure it’s happening.



Kia Stinger Facelift Caught for the First Time - Korean Car Blog

 

[Sabs]

Nice, that is indeed a good indicator of a '21 refresh.

 

[Mike_TX]

Nice, that is indeed a good indicator of a '21 refresh.

lol. I can't tell a thing about it except that the tail lights seem to be the same.

 

[Sabs]

Right, but the fact that there's a camouflaged Stinger driving around in Korea is a good indicator that they're testing a model with some body changes.

 

[Nasscar]

Declining sales isn't a good sign.

 

[Kimberly Lazarski]

lol. I can't tell a thing about it except that the tail lights seem to be the same.

Part of the taillight is masked; is that to hold the bra in place, or because the taillights are being revised as well?

Is it just perspective, is the rear bra billowing in the wind, or does it seem like the rear wheel wells are more flared than the current model? This camo is far more effective at hiding the lines than camo paint (which never really works; case in point: We all knew exactly what the RMR C8 Corvette was going to look like).

 

[Silvermanor]

Tails look unchanged to me, at least in the mule shown here. I doubt they will remain the same on the final refresh (bumpers, grilles and lights are the easiest things to change midcycle).

 

[westcoastGT]

I think they have too much equity in the tail light design , maybe bulb upgrades , The bumper shape will have a tweek I'm sure , maybe a more aggressive diffuser ....................tough to read more from the pic , but nice to see they are at least doing a refresh !

 

[NS_Stinger]

I wonder if they will continue it in all markets or not. This kind of changes my plans with the car. I was thinking I'd hang onto it if they discontinued it but not so sure now.

 

[NS_Stinger]

Another story:
https://www.formacar.com/en/news/view/23417.html

The Kia Stinger liftback, which you can see in the gallery and the video here, entered the market two years ago and has since been a source of frustration for its maker. Gregory Guillaume, Chief Designer of Kia Motors Europe, confirms that the model will receive a facelift – but it might have to leave the market soon after that.

Kia has sold a total of 3,239 Stingers in South Korea in the period from January to October 2019, marking a 35% decline compared to the same period the year before. 12,827 cars found their owners in Europe in the same timeframe (-17%). The technically similar sedan/saloon Genesis G70 sells much more briskly, with 14,131 units sold in the abovementioned period in South Korea alone (+25%).

In its facelift planned for next year, the liftback will likely be receiving new bumpers, headlights and radiator grille, as well as a digital dashboard and a redesigned infotainment system.

The Genesis G70 will also undergo an update soon, getting a 2.5-liter TSI engine of the latest Hyundai Sonata N Line (290 hp, 216 kW). In all likelihood, the Stinger will be getting it, too.

Right now, the Kia Stinger ships with a choice between two turbocharged gasoline engines and a 2.2-liter turbo diesel on all markets. The transmission is eight-speed automatic, and you can choose between RWD and AWD.

The facelift should be officially announced in mid-2020, Guillaume says.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Another story:
https://www.formacar.com/en/news/view/23417.html

Good heavens! What is that THING, pointed at me, in the second scrolling header pic? It is absolutely hideous.

Vis-à-vis "facelift" and dropping sales: I think the Stinger has a ways to drop before Kia drops it. A complete refresh would likely turn it into a hybrid which won't interest me at all. I suppose that Kia will go full EV with an "Italian style" GT body, like the Stinger. But it won't be derived from the Stinger. The 2020 Drako GTE (that I did a thread on a couple of days ago) points the way to "the same only better": i.e. a body style that car enthusiasts want to see, not something "modern" just because real EVs are modern. We like the long hood, flared fenders, low CG, big wheels, and PERFORMANCE (including carving curves handling). If the enthusiasts are there, and don't want to feel "guilty", but still have their driving fun, then Kia will definitely provide the car. I expect sometime in the 2020s to see a Stingerlike bodied full EV that charges in under 20 minutes. I think that the price of such will come plummeting down over the next ten years.

 

[BlueByYouGT]

Does anyone know if that picture is actually new? That could easily be a picture from 2015-2016 of the current Stinger. I mean, blogs are all about 'clicks' and aren't exactly pillars of journalistic integrity.

 

[BertBert2019GT]

hmm! IF its a new picture - why drive around something that you’ve only refreshed the looks of. Wouldn’t you be driving around testing a mechanical change? Masking the the exterior during said test drives...

 

[namja]

Declining sales isn't a good sign.

Sounds like a midlife (cycle) crisis!

 

[NS_Stinger]

Good heavens! What is that THING, pointed at me, in the second scrolling header pick? It is absolutely hideous.

Vis-à-vis "facelift" and dropping sales: I think the Stinger has a ways to drop before Kia drops it. A complete refresh would likely turn it into a hybrid which won't interest me at all. I suppose that Kia will go full EV with an "Italian style" GT body, like the Stinger. But it won't be derived from the Stinger. The 2020 Drako GTE (that I did a thread on a couple of days ago) points the way to "the same only better": i.e. a body style that car enthusiasts want to see, not something "modern" just because real EVs are modern. We like the long hood, flared fenders, low CG, big wheels, and PERFORMANCE (including carving curves handling). If the enthusiasts are there, and don't want to feel "guilty", but still have their driving fun, then Kia will definitely provide the car. I expect sometime in the 2020s to see a Stingerlike bodied full EV that charges in under 20 minutes. I think that the price of such will come plummeting down over the next ten years.

I was kind of hoping that 2021 would either be discontinued or an EV for selfish reasons. Either of those outcomes would almost certainly mean purchasers of the 2018-20 TT models would have a future collectable, now I'm not so sure. The other side of me is happy it might continue because its just a great all around performance car at a reasonable price in a shrinking market.

 

[SafetyPilotCal]

Kia needs to recoup their R&D costs. Axing the car after only 3 model years doesn't make a lot of sense. It's not unprecedented, it's just pretty rare. Yeah, a lot of it is shared with Genesis, but there would still be some serious sunk costs.

 

[Kimberly Lazarski]

I was kind of hoping that 2021 would either be discontinued or an EV for selfish reasons. Either of those outcomes would almost certainly mean purchasers of the 2018-20 TT models would have a future collectable, now I'm not so sure. The other side of me is happy it might continue because its just a great all around performance car at a reasonable price in a shrinking market.

You don't want it discontinued, but for Kia to treat it like GM does the Corvette; to continue development and keep selling it. Killing off the model is a sure fire way to make it unmaintainable. As far as its being a future collectible: What are Maserati BiTurbos going for lately?

Regarding the hybrid comment:

I, for one, would welcome a performance-enhancing hybrid setup. Don't Lexus, Porsche, Acura, and Volvo all make high-performance hybrid cars? Didn't BMW make the ActiveHybrid3 and ActiveHybrid5 for a couple of years?

Hybrid that is economical for commutes, and enhances performance up hills, recaptures energy to reuse later while going downhill, and for a nice performance boost on the track? Yes, please!!

BTW the upcoming ZR1 trim C8 Corvette (or Zora Corvette?) is rumored to be an AWD hybrid.

 

[Never thought]

Remember, Kia sells about 3 K900s in the US per year and they did a complete redesign. I don’t see the Stinger going anywhere anytime soon.

 

[BlueByYouGT]

Remember, Kia sells about 3 K900s in the US per year and they did a complete redesign. I don’t see the Stinger going anywhere anytime soon.

The U.S. isn't Kia's only market. They sell a ton of K900s in Asia. They aren't doing as well with the Stinger.

 

[Kimberly Lazarski]

Kia would do well to use both the Stinger and the K900 to introduce the Korean "Klexus" logo and highlight the model names more ("Stinger" is far more prominent on the 2020); since most people are not familiar with the Korean logo it would further pique curiousity about the models and prompt them to search for it rather than seeing a large "KIA" and disregarding the vehicles. Or, at least demote the Kia badge, and add a small emblem at the corner of the bumper "Stinger by Kia"

It took the Hyundai make over a decade after they quit making crap cars to shed their bad reputation and they can well afford to continue Kia's halo and luxury models to generate interest, and they would be perfect to leverage for rejuvenating the Kia brand. It's hardly an unpopular brand but its reputation is similar to what the Hyundai brand was in the early '90s in the wake of the Excel (which while a comfortable and "pleasant" if not fun car was notoriously unreliable).