The Kia Stinger is a classic example of good news/bad news bit. Let's start with the good one. The performance-oriented sedan is getting mid-cycle refresh soon, with previous reports indicating that its twin-turbocharged 3.3-liter V6 will be upgraded to provide more power. It will also receive some aesthetic updates, more likely on the front end and instrument cluster as seen on the recent spy images of the car.
The bad news is, the refreshed model could be the Stinger's swan song, a futile attempt to ramp up its dwindling sales numbers. Figures from 2018 and 2019 indicate that the Stinger isn't selling much, dropping by roughly 18 percent.
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And the current coronavirus pandemic isn't helping at all. Sales of the Kia halo car dropped by as much as 21 percent in Q1 2020 as compared to the same period the previous year. March sales were the worst, with a 40 percent decline from the same month in 2019.
The pandemic puts a financial strain on automakers, as well, prompting them to prioritize profitable models in order to bounce back from the adverse effects of the pandemic. This puts the Stinger on a dangerous footing, but an interview with Kia design boss Karim Habib with Top Gear hints that there's a way for the Stinger to survive.
"As the technology goes towards EVs and as the world and its appetite for these types of cars changes, the concept probably has to evolve as well," Habib told Top Gear.
Honestly, we're not completely surprised. The demand for electrification increases on a global scale, and this might push Kia to join the fray in order to survive and keep itself profitable. This doesn't exclude certain vehicles, especially those that need help – even if that means electrifying the marque's first halo car.
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