K900 and Cadenza are being axed .........................

[MerlintheMad]

Think we're losing sight of what a "halo" car is:

Essential Auto 101: What Is a Halo Car | AutoNation Drive


This site even lists the Stinger (and K900) as Kia's halos:

Autotrader

I gravitate toward the Cobra roadster as a Ford halo car. They've been made for years and of course the modern ones are better cars than the originals. Instead of satisfying (putting to rest) my daydream of having a Cobra to drive whenever I want to, the Stinger has whetted my appetite to drive one and see if my imagination is up to it; or, would it be a disappointing experience? (have a hard time believing that)

 

[Kimberly Lazarski]

I'm not surprised by this except that it came so late.

I'm curious what Kia's divestment in sedans will mean for the Stinger. Their remaining sedans all sell more than the Stinger--doubling the Stinger's sales at a minimum. The Stinger's 2020 sales were 10% lower than 2019, as well. This can partly be blamed on Covid-19, I'm sure, but overall Kia's sales were down just 5%.

More likely because people know a Stinger refresh is coming, and the 2018-2020 model in the US is gimped compared to ROW models and even the US sibling from Genesis.

I also wonder what this means for the future of Kia luxury vehicles. They used the Cadenza and K900 to demonstrate how Kia does luxury. Will they shift their luxury focus to the K5, build a new lux model, or abandon the luxury-sedan segment altogether?

If they stop gimping the Stinger here in the US, they'd move a lot more units. Lowering the MSRP to match the price they actually sell for would help a great deal, too (toward Saab's end, the grossly inflated MSRP kept a lot of people from even considering the 9-3; buyers invariably paid 20%-30% off MSRP).

 

[WRXtoStingerGT]

It's a shame they're getting rid of those two cars. I personally really liked how they looked.

I do wish though that Kia would stop making the Stinger and the sales would slow down. It would greatly help hold our resale value and make the care a tad bit more uncommon on the roads.

I will admit that for what I paid for my car (far, FAR under MSRP) OTD it is probably the most expensive looking and luxurious sporty car out there lol.

It's like pretending to have money to blow on overpriced cars lmfao.

I am not surprised they're cutting those two cars though. Why would someone pay that much when you are now entering the solid price-point category of the "better" brands? Meh... :/

 

[Deviate]

Just a shot in the dark...what if Kia pitched the Stinger the same way Chevy (more so GM) pitches the Corvette? Everyone knows at the end of the day its a Chevrolet but it has become its own entity. Yes the Stinger is part of Kia's upper tier/luxury line, and in turn showcases what they are capable of producing. Why not showcase and pitch it that way?
Another example would be the Supra, it has its die hard enthusiasts as well and nobody says "is that a Toyota Supra?" No its "look at that 'vette" Or "holy shit look its a Supra!". Don't know if that makes any sense to anyone

 

[stoopid]

Just a shot in the dark...what if Kia pitched the Stinger the same way Chevy (more so GM) pitches the Corvette? Everyone knows at the end of the day its a Chevrolet but it has become its own entity. Yes the Stinger is part of Kia's upper tier/luxury line, and in turn showcases what they are capable of producing. Why not showcase and pitch it that way?
Another example would be the Supra, it has its die hard enthusiasts as well and nobody says "is that a Toyota Supra?" No its "look at that 'vette" Or "holy shit look its a Supra!". Don't know if that makes any sense to anyone

That's a valid take, certainly "Hellcat" isn't the same class car as a stock Charger. Generally it's 'hellcat' and not 'dodge charger / challenger / durango hellcat'. Similar for the Miata and S2000.

 

[Deviate]

That's a valid take, certainly "Hellcat" isn't the same class car as a stock Charger. Generally it's 'hellcat' and not 'dodge charger / challenger / durango hellcat'. Similar for the Miata and S2000.

It is interesting how certain rides take their own identity. I know for me it would be nice to see some sort of advertising. Nobody knew what a Stinger was at my work prior to my rollin in in one. Now its "hey i saw a Stinger yesterday". Of course the K5 has taken off here so i always take it with a grain of salt on what they saw

 

[WRXtoStingerGT]

That is how you know a vehicle, regardless of who makes it, is fantastic! Corvette, Supra, S200, Stinger, R8, Hellcat, Viper, etc...

I think the problem is when people are looking to spend anywhere from $30k-$60k on a Stinger they are also (often at least) cross-shopping "higher-end" brands; especially the German and Japanese ones... Walk into any dealership lobby or service department of a Lexus or Mercedes and compare it to a Kia or Hyundai... both the staff and customers are normally just a different (statistically lower) tier group...

This isn't me being elitist mind you. My family has owned three base model Camry's (Le) that we all bought noticeably used. I had a Subaru before my Kia. I will admit though, when I went to test drive the dozen or so cars I was cross-shopping with the Stinger, I was very impressed with just how much more (or a "step above") Lexus, BMW, Audi, Mercedes, and Acura were with both presentation in person and communication via phone/email.

That's a valid take, certainly "Hellcat" isn't the same class car as a stock Charger. Generally it's 'hellcat' and not 'dodge charger / challenger / durango hellcat'. Similar for the Miata and S2000.

I have a friend up here in NY who has a pretty well modified Hellcat Challenger pushing a solid 850+ horsepower and one thing that really bothers him is that there are times when people legit get his $80k+ car confused with some base model that's less than a third of the price.

It is interesting how certain rides take their own identity. I know for me it would be nice to see some sort of advertising. Nobody knew what a Stinger was at my work prior to my rollin in in one. Now its "hey i saw a Stinger yesterday". Of course the K5 has taken off here so i always take it with a grain of salt on what they saw

My gf thought the new K5 was a Maserati or Jaguar from the front. Granted, she's not really into cars, but when she first saw one in the parking lot walking back from the store she started pointing and asking questions. She assumes I know everything about everything when it comes to car brands, models, stats, and names lmfao... But yeah... when I told her it's a Kia/Hyundai she started asking if my "fancy Kia" was better/faster than that one. I said "depends" lol.

 

[stoopid]

... when I told her it's a Kia/Hyundai she started asking if my "fancy Kia" was better/faster than that one. I said "depends" lol.

Wishing you got the 3.3L now, aren't ya!?

 

[WRXtoStingerGT]

Wishing you got the 3.3L now, aren't ya!?

Is my signature invisible?

EDIT:

My signature says what my current car is which is the 3.3L unless the "Stinger GT" also comes in 2.0L now?

 

[Justin B]

He's just being Stoopid.

 

[WRXtoStingerGT]

He's just being Stoopid.

All good. I have a bowl of that every other morning for breakfast. Keeps things interesting.

 

[stoopid]

Is my signature invisible?

EDIT:

My signature says what my current car is which is the 3.3L unless the "Stinger GT" also comes in 2.0L now?

Sorry, I've confused you with another (newer) member. Carry on.

So she was just Kia model shaming you.

 

[colnago1331]

I also wonder what this means for the future of Kia luxury vehicles. They used the Cadenza and K900 to demonstrate how Kia does luxury. Will they shift their luxury focus to the K5, build a new lux model, or abandon the luxury-sedan segment altogether?

Just a shot in the dark...what if Kia pitched the Stinger the same way Chevy (more so GM) pitches the Corvette? Everyone knows at the end of the day its a Chevrolet but it has become its own entity. Yes the Stinger is part of Kia's upper tier/luxury line, and in turn showcases what they are capable of producing. Why not showcase and pitch it that way?

I think the axing of the K900 / Cadenza is an acknowledgment, tacit or otherwise, by Kia that it isn't geared to be a luxury brand. I don't consider the Stinger to be a luxury car . . . even at the GT2 trim level. Rather I see it as a high performance grand touring sedan. My guess is the bulk of us here bought the Stinger because it gives the most performance bang for the buck, whether at the GT Line level or at the GT/GT1/GT2 level. Looking at the GT, from a price perspective, the comps are the Audi A5 Sportback and the BMW 430i Gran Coupe, and neither gives the performance that the Stinger does. And from a performance perspective the comps are the S5 Sportback and the 440i Gran Coupe, and those are both going to be around $10,000 more.

There's also a certain dealer experience that comes with a true luxury car and luxury brand. The BMW and Audi dealerships are going to offer nicer accoutrements than a Kia dealership . . . plain and simple. One of the local Euro car dealers here has an espresso machine. They'll also provide loaner cars for non warranty work, and their loaner cars aren't on the level of the Forte or the Optima, because they don't have cars on the level of the Forte or the Optima.

That's a valid take, certainly "Hellcat" isn't the same class car as a stock Charger. Generally it's 'hellcat' and not 'dodge charger / challenger / durango hellcat'. Similar for the Miata and S2000.

Corvette could - and should - become its own separate GM brand. And it would be easy, because the trim levels within the Corvette model have their own names - Stingray, Grand Sport, etc. The Hellcat moniker is interesting, because technically it's just a trim level (i.e. the official name of the car is the Charger SRT Hellcat). They could switch it around, though, and make Hellcat the "brand" such that owners would have, for example, a Hellcat Charger. But the name would still be diluted because of the lower, Dodge-based trim levels. Regardless, the Stinger doesn't have that. It's a vehicle model, and the trim levels don't really have their own names. Which isn't to say that Kia couldn't do it either. Genesis started out in 2008 as a vehicle model - the Hyundai Genesis - and came in coupe and sedan form. It wasn't until 2017 that it came out as a separate and distinct brand. Kia could do the same thing with the Stinger, but that likely won't be for a while.

 

[Deviate]

I think the axing of the K900 / Cadenza is an acknowledgment, tacit or otherwise, by Kia that it isn't geared to be a luxury brand. I don't consider the Stinger to be a luxury car . . . even at the GT2 trim level. Rather I see it as a high performance grand touring sedan. My guess is the bulk of us here bought the Stinger because it gives the most performance bang for the buck, whether at the GT Line level or at the GT/GT1/GT2 level. Looking at the GT, from a price perspective, the comps are the Audi A5 Sportback and the BMW 430i Gran Coupe, and neither gives the performance that the Stinger does. And from a performance perspective the comps are the S5 Sportback and the 440i Gran Coupe, and those are both going to be around $10,000 more.

There's also a certain dealer experience that comes with a true luxury car and luxury brand. The BMW and Audi dealerships are going to offer nicer accoutrements than a Kia dealership . . . plain and simple. One of the local Euro car dealers here has an espresso machine. They'll also provide loaner cars for non warranty work, and their loaner cars aren't on the level of the Forte or the Optima, because they don't have cars on the level of the Forte or the Optima.



Corvette could - and should - become its own separate GM brand. And it would be easy, because the trim levels within the Corvette model have their own names - Stingray, Grand Sport, etc. The Hellcat moniker is interesting, because technically it's just a trim level (i.e. the official name of the car is the Charger SRT Hellcat). They could switch it around, though, and make Hellcat the "brand" such that owners would have, for example, a Hellcat Charger. But the name would still be diluted because of the lower, Dodge-based trim levels. Regardless, the Stinger doesn't have that. It's a vehicle model, and the trim levels don't really have their own names. Which isn't to say that Kia couldn't do it either. Genesis started out in 2008 as a vehicle model - the Hyundai Genesis - and came in coupe and sedan form. It wasn't until 2017 that it came out as a separate and distinct brand. Kia could do the same thing with the Stinger, but that likely won't be for a while.

My dealer has an espresso machine....Maybe im just lucky? Hahaha.
Very valid points

 

[colnago1331]

My dealer has an espresso machine....Maybe im just lucky? Hahaha.
Very valid points

That you get to use? Or is it for employees only?

 

[Deviate]

That you get to use? Or is it for employees only?

Sitting in the waiting area for service

 

[MerlintheMad]

My dealer has an espresso machine....Maybe im just lucky? Hahaha.
Very valid points

So does mine; and a refrigerator with bottled water, snacks, TV lounge, WiFi, and it's clean and upscale looking. I don't use the espresso either, because I don't drink coffee.

 

[WRXtoStingerGT]

I guess the dealerships I have been to in Yonkers NY and Hollywood FL and Coral Springs FL are all basic lmfao!

@ colnago1331

I completely agree! Well said! It really is a huge step above getting a loaner for even a routine or standard service such as a brake job or an oil change on top of normally sitting in nicer couches with better refreshments avaliable. I remember when I took in my mom's 2014 RX350 for a recall at the dealership I was stunned that I got not only a free meal with some very nice coffee but a haircut. All free while they fixed the car under the recall order lol. I found that VERY impressive and if I am being honest, if the IS350F and the RC350F were not so comically slow I would have purchased a vehicle from that Lexus dealership in a heartbeat!

 

[Bigserver1]

I have a 2017 Cadenza Limited. It’s a great car. Gets a ton of compliments from people when they step in, even valets have been complimentary. My lease is nearly up and I’m trading it in for a 2021 Stinger GT2, just waiting on it to arrive at the dealer to complete the deal.

This is disappointing to me. These cars weren’t selling, but it was nice to know that Kia had an upmarket presence. The K5 is a mess, imo. I sat in one when my car was having a service completed, and the highest end trim feels cheap. Way cheaper than the old Optima SXLs. Kia is clearly shifting their focus to SUVs and that’s fine, but I do hope they at least keep the Stinger in their lineup as a reflection of what the brand can be at their best.

 

[WRXtoStingerGT]

I have a 2017 Cadenza Limited. It’s a great car. Gets a ton of compliments from people when they step in, even valets have been complimentary. My lease is nearly up and I’m trading it in for a 2021 Stinger GT2, just waiting on it to arrive at the dealer to complete the deal.

This is disappointing to me. These cars weren’t selling, but it was nice to know that Kia had an upmarket presence. The K5 is a mess, imo. I sat in one when my car was having a service completed, and the highest end trim feels cheap. Way cheaper than the old Optima SXLs. Kia is clearly shifting their focus to SUVs and that’s fine, but I do hope they at least keep the Stinger in their lineup as a reflection of what the brand can be at their best.

I'll probably get crucified for saying this but I rather they discontinue the Stinger entirely so our resale values stay higher or the car could even potentially appreciate in value or hold its value like we see with the E30, E36, S2K, MX5, Supra, NSX, etc...

Like I said previously I love both the Cadenza and the K900. They both look really good to me and both are very luxurious. Sure, they're "just a Kia" but honestly for higher end luxury you cant beat their price points dollar per dollar outside of a performance standpoint. It's a shame that they are being cut due to bad sales. If the Stinger is going to be cut I would be surprised if it's due to bad sales since I'm seeing them popping up left and right both in NY and FL.

I actually test drove very recently the new 2021 K5 GT-Line and I will say that it does (as you said) feel very cheap on the inside but it does drive well. The handling was solid and it didn't feel to heavy or floaty or unbalanced. Also, and this is rather subjective, but I love how the front of the exterior looks.