Compared to US Stinger sales, it's Giulia sales in Europe that have been
falling off a cliff.
Sept. -
587
Oct. -
738
Preceding months - sold 1,500+
And as I had noted numerous times, Kia sales in Europe is hampered by its limited powertrain lineup.
The 2.0T is an ancient engine and both it and the
3.3T get hit hard by the CO2 tax (in many countries in Europe, the Stinger ends up costing as much as a Panamera after the CO2 tax charge).
Not surprisingly, Stinger sales in Europe started to drop in July when many countries raised their CO2 tax rates.
The Cadillac CTS is equally hampered by its powertrain lineup.
2017 sales - 167 total
2016 - 175
2015 - 140
2014 - 133
2013 - 100
(Don't know where you got the idea that the CTS vastly outsold the Stinger when a full year's worth of sales don't match a month of Stinger sales.)
The Stinger is available w/ a 2.2L diesel in Europe, but the problem is that the engine is not performance-oriented (was borrowed from the Santa Fe and
Sorento).
That engine is fine for family-oriented crossovers, but not something like the Stinger.
The Giulia, otoh, has
10 different variations for its diesel lineup, including one that only emits
99 g/km of CO2 emissions in the combined cycle.
Would it be worth it for H/K to develop a new family of performance-oriented diesel engines?
No - not w/ diesels on their way out.
Which is why I have been stating that we won't be seeing higher Stinger sales in Europe until the 2.0T gets replaced by the more efficient (and more powerful) 2.5T - hopefully, connected to a 48V system.
Now in countries where fuel is less expensive and w/o prohibitive CO2 taxes, the Stinger outsells the Giulia.
As for China, Kia really hasn't tried to sell the Stinger there.
The remaining fall-out from the Beijing-led boycott, import tariffs and the CO2 tax doesn't make for amenable conditions, as the Stinger would be priced above the 4 Series GC and A5, much less the 3 Series and A4.
