There is a lot of fuss about newest Kia product known as Stinger. Kia already had much pricier models filling upper segments, but K900 is heavily underpriced and rarely considered as a proper rival for the full-size luxury segment. This is the first time that the South Korean company offered a product intended to directly rival luxury brands. It is the mid-size thing that will be priced just slightly under usual premium products but far away from Optima which occupies the same part of the market.
We know that Stinger hasn’t yet arrived on dealer’s lots, but let’s speculate a bit about the possibility of disappearance of rear doors. Why should we think of 2020 Kia Stinger Coupe as a possibility?
SOME TIME AGO
We know that no one thinks of sporty things when Kia is in mind. But that doesn’t mean that Koreans haven’t tried in the past. Believe it or not, there was a time in 90’s when this carmaker was offering proper sports car. But honestly, it could be hardly described as Korean thing, as when Lotus cease with the production of Elan, Korean maker bought production rights and continued to manufacture it. We see some recent attempts of injecting some sportiness to the brand’s lineup in the form of Forte Koup or Pro_Cee’d GT, but these attempts are still shy especially in terms of power figures.
If Hyundai let loose with Genesis Coupe, why wouldn’t Kia too, especially when it was bold enough to launch Stinger? Going with coupe version afterward could be child’s play.
Similar competitor in their lineup:
IT COULD BE LOGICAL
Stinger already has a coupe-ish body and removing rear doors, stretching a bit front ones, could easily transform it into the quite alluring thing. The sheer size of it would actually make the rear bench usable, probably capable of accommodating adults, so that’s one more point to its side. Further to everything, applied berserk styling would even better fit to the coupe as demand for visual excessiveness is higher with that body type, while also being more easily acceptable to all people generally, certainly more than in sedan shape regardless of fastback connotations, just take Lexus RC and LC for example.
FIGURE GAMES
If coupe ever happens, it would be powered with same units as sedan version. That implies 2.0-liter turbocharged I4 rated at 258 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque and 3.3-liter turbocharged V6 that delivers 365 hp and 376 lb-ft. V6 does produce nice figures, let’s say in the realm of Audi S5 and Mercedes-AMG C43 Coupe, but what if we imagine what could happen if Kia goes with full boost. In that case, the same V6 would definitely go above 400hp, which should pose a problem for it, as M4, AMG C63 Coupe, ATS-V Coupe and RC F are far above that figure.
Also, Koreans have mentioned potential use of electric power, so maybe something as a hybrid is a genuine possibility. Already today, Optima hybrid is quite a refined product, electric Soul is a good seller, so it wouldn’t be the first time for this company to meddle with that type of powertrain successfully.
2020 Kia Stinger Coupe WHY THEY SHOULD
2020 Kia Stinger Coupe wouldn’t be a strong seller, as Hyundai felt that with Genesis Coupe. Also, top version trying to rival AMG, M, V and so on, might appear childish at first thought but you have to start somewhere. Anyway, who says that sedan is going to reach the top of sales charts? It probably won’t, as it is something totally new from Kia and people needs time to comprehend.
If Koreans statements are correct and we do have an upcoming sedan with sublime cornering abilities, why not stretch your offer and include coupe. A good recipe is there, RWD, mad styling, close to 400 hp, and it will additionally boost brand image. Sports car moniker still goes easier with two doors.
