Kia Stinger will reportedly meet its end in six months

Despite its low-slung, liftback shape and lively performance with up to 368 horsepower, the Stinger was never the brightest star in Kia’s firmament. After a string of rumors through the years hinted that the car was doomed, reports out of South Korea say now that the plug will be pulled on Stinger production next April.

Weak demand is the reason cited for Stinger’s demise, the same reasoning that had been circulating about the car for about four years.  No direct replacement is expected yet, although designer Karim Habib said last year that the EV6 GT electric crossover could serve a similar role in the lineup.

In the U.S., sales of the once-promising sedan have been on a downward slope. Some 13,517 Stingers were sold in the U.S. last year, and so far in 2022 Kia has sold less than half that many. 

A refreshed Stinger arrived in spring 2021. The high-end GT arrived with a 68 horsepower bump and some interior and exterior tweaks, but apparently that wasn’t enough newness to save the line.