SAD to report this week that a modern car that epitomized the grand touring age of motoring is to be replaced by an electric vehicle.
I am sure that the replacement for the ubiquitous Kia Stinger will be a car with inbuilt electrifying performance but I will miss the Stinger.
I was much taken with it when it first came on the scene in 2017. I was struck by the imagination shown by the giant Korean carmaker Kia in producing a grand tourer in a world of cars that has become bland and functional.
I said when I first wrote about it that I had “to pinch myself to check that I wasn’t dreaming when I sat behind the wheel of this week’s drive, the Kia Stinger.
“It seems extraordinary to me that a carmaker today can come up with a car as appealing as the Stinger.
“The car may not be to everyone’s taste but to me the Stinger is the touring GT (gran turismo) car reincarnated, which is exactly what it is supposed to be.”
I loved the performance of the Stinger as much as its grand touring swagger. However, I am sure that its replacement the EV6 GT will be no slouch when it comes to performance.
I recall applauding Kia’s chief designer Frenchman Gregory Guillaume, for his part in bringing the Stinger to life as an homage to the grand tourers of his youth that drifted stylishly around the French Riviera.
Now that the Kia Stinger has been withdrawn from sale in the UK, we await arrival of the new high-performance EV6 GT later this year.
The Kia Stinger received a range of updates in 2021. Powered by a 3.3-litre twin-turbocharged V6 engine, the Stinger has been — for several years — Kia’s fastest-accelerating car to date, achieving the 0-62mph sprint in 4.7 seconds.
The high-performance, rear-wheel drive sports saloon served as a bold statement of intent for the brand, capable of covering great distances in comfort and style.
Kia says the Stinger also introduced the brand to a different type of buyer, playing an important role in transforming perceptions of Kia in recent years. Waiting in the wings to take its place is the all-electric, zero-emissions EV6 GT. The new model not only takes the Stinger’s crown for fastest-accelerating Kia, sprinting from 0-62mph in 3.5 seconds.
It is also the most powerful production car that Kia has ever made, with its dual-motor electric powertrain producing 577 bhp (430kW) and 740 Nm (546lb ft) torque.
The EV6 GT is based on Kia’s Electric Global Modular Platform, engineered exclusively to accommodate the car’s considerable electric power.
With a powerful motor on each axle, and the long-range 77.4kWh battery placed beneath the car’s flat cabin floor, the EV6 GT offers a generous level of interior space inside a coupe-inspired crossover design. With a driving range of 265 miles (WLTP combined), it also boasts 800V-charging technology, enabling it to recharge from 10-80 per cent in 18 minutes from an ultra-rapid charger.
Compared to more conventional EV6 variants, the EV6 GT boasts bespoke chassis and powertrain features.
These include performance brakes, optimized steering, and reworked suspension for greater driver control and confidence.
An updated Drive Mode Select system offers a new ‘GT Mode’, allowing drivers to customize their driving experience and unleash the car’s full performance capabilities.
Paul Philpott, President and CEO for Kia UK, said: “The launch of the Stinger will go down as a transformative moment for Kia. Its driver-focused grand tourer credentials, paired with Kia’s reputation for vehicle quality and design, made it an incredibly compelling car for drivers. At the same time, it also had a transformative effect on how people saw Kia.
“For the same reasons, the EV6 GT is the ideal car to take the baton from the Stinger in the UK. Our future product plan has a major focus on electrification, and globally Kia plans to offer a line-up of 14 EVs by 2027.
“Combining high-performance capabilities with an incredible design and a long-range electric powertrain, the EV6 GT is an important part of this plan, and a true new flagship for the Kia brand.”
The Kia Stinger remains in production in South Korea, and Kia UK will fulfill all existing customer orders for the model.
Order books are now open for the new EV6 GT from Kia’s UK dealer network, with first customer deliveries due to commence in the final quarter of 2022.
