Kia undecided on 2nd Generation Stinger

[YEH]

You have that backwards. The Cadenza is Kia's second most luxurious sedan (behind the K900). No one ever describes the Stinger as a luxury car. Is the interior serviceable? Sure. Is it luxurious? No. And it wasn't meant to be a luxury car. Its marketed as a performance Gran Tourer.

Part of being a Gran Turismo is the luxury quotient.

The Cadenza/K7 is premium, not luxury.

It's the corporate cousin to the Hyundai Grandeur (aka Azera) - which the competitive set are models like the Avalon, Impala, Maxima, etc.

Kia upped the luxury quotient a bit in the Cadenza to make it more of a tweener - splitting the difference btwn the Avalaon and the ES, so one could maybe say that it's a LaCrosse competitor.

In Korea, the Stinger starts at 350,240,000 Won vs. 310,000,000 Won for the K7/Cadenza, and goes a good bit higher in price for its top trim.

In addition, only models that are deemed special (higher end) get their own specific badge - hence the Stinger getting the E badge in and the Mohave getting its own distinct badge as well.

On the Cadenza's page of kia.com Kia posted in large font "Luxury simplified. Take a step toward luxury with a full-size sedan that reflects meticulous attention to detail and craftsmanship."

Kia's own website shows its lineup where the Stinger is slotted btwn the K7 and K9.

기아자동차 온라인견적 | 기아자동차 공식사이트

On the Stinger's page of kia.com Kia posted "Stunning performance. The Stinger strikes the perfect balance of power and refinement to deliver high performance and supreme comfort on the open road."

Do you think BMW emphasizes performance or luxury w/ the M3 and M4?

This whole thread started because there's conjecture that the Stinger may not see a v2 because sales are too low. What I've been offering is a reason as to why sales are low, and how Kia could potentially improve them in the Australian market.

I'm quite familiar w/ the Aussie market and the Stinger outsells the IS, Q50, XE, Giulia, G70, as well as the 4 Series GC, A5 Sportback and the A4 (and quite handily at that).

Kis is not going to drastically place the Stinger at a different segment/price-point for the Australian market - b/c (1) does away w/ the whole point of the Stinger and (2) is financially unfeasible.

Even at its current price-point Kia is probably not making much, if any profit in all the markets for the Stinger.

And setting up manufacturing for RHD is fairly costly w/ potential for return being slim (due to market size).

At the price-point you're suggesting, Kia would just rather fold and take the Stinger out of the Aussie market.

OK- done w/ this topic.

 

[Nasscar]

on the issue of Halo car ................... This Forum is a testament to the degree of involvement that the Stinger has generated and the passion it has created . While the Stinger may not be even close to the sales volume generated by the new Telluride I can attest to the degree of enthusiasm this Forum displays vs the Telluride Forum . I have been following the Telluride since it was announced and its on my short list to replace my current SUV . I was a "Founding Member" of Sals Telluride Forum .................2 weeks ago I signed out , there is no where near the degree of excitement or involvement and certainly very little passion amongst the members there .
The Stinger has created true enthusiasts .....................it has done a great job for moving the needle in a positive way , that will translate to future brand involvement

That's because the Stinger is a true drivers car whilst the Telluride is just another SUV. Who can get really excited about an SUV. And I love the Telluride too.

 

[Manaz]

This Thread is getting way too ...............OFF TOPIC !!! Yeh and Manaz might want to take this somewhere else ......................

Why, because we're having a civil discourse without resorting to petty sniping at each other?

It's not even close to off-topic. We're discussing factors that will absolutely influence whether Kia make a second generation Stinger or not.

 

[Manaz]

Curious as to how you understand the Australian market so well - ex-pat Aussie, or you work for an automotive brand with responsibility for the Australian market?

Kis is not going to drastically place the Stinger at a different segment/price-point for the Australian market - b/c (1) does away w/ the whole point of the Stinger and (2) is financially unfeasible.

I am sure that the Stinger does not cost more to manufacture than the Optima. In fact, I am sure that the base 200S costs Kia less than a top of the range Optima GT.

Even at its current price-point Kia is probably not making much, if any profit in all the markets for the Stinger.

I doubt that very much. The amount of kit in a GT is substantially higher than in a 200S, yet the price spread is very small. I would suggest instead that They are making a healthy profit on each 200S, and a very good profit on the GT.

And setting up manufacturing for RHD is fairly costly w/ potential for return being slim (due to market size).

Already done, it's a sunk cost. It is done for every car they sell here, and if the designs are done well, the cost between LHD and RHD manufacture will be low.

At the price-point you're suggesting, Kia would just rather fold and take the Stinger out of the Aussie market.

Not even close.

Large cars don't cost much more to manufacture than small cars. The design costs are basically identical, the engineering is actually cheaper (because there is more space to fit everything in and less compromise required), the material costs are barely any higher (1535kgs for Optima GT, 1638kgs for Stinger 200S).

If they can sell an Optima GT for $45k, they can easily sell a Stinger 200S for less.