Kia Stinger Gt RWD Track Test

The two things that are keeping sales low are the high cost and badge snobbery. I agree that it would be selling better at the current price if it were not for the badge. Sad that people put so much stock in a name instead of on the merits of the vehicle.

I think as of now the Stinger is selling around 1,000 units a month, which obviously isn't great for such a well reviewed new car. Kia may have to consider bringing the costs down a bit to entice buyers who simply aren't willing to drop $40k on a car with their badge. Another reason for them to make an exclusive badge for this new performance line.

It's easy to write off a car because its badge isn't up to scratch, no matter how good it looks. For a long time this used to be accurate with premium automakers producing better looking and performing cars compared to other companies. Now we have cars that's punching above their weight like the Stinger but people still won't look at it.

I think they will once its been on the market for a little longer, past the first major scheduled maintenance. I have a feeling that interested buyers are a little weary of the new platform, despite how promising the package looks to be.

Sportster said:

It's easy to write off a car because its badge isn't up to scratch, no matter how good it looks. For a long time this used to be accurate with premium automakers producing better looking and performing cars compared to other companies. Now we have cars that's punching above their weight like the Stinger but people still won't look at it.

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It takes a major shift in consumer culture to buy into these, there was a point where Japanese car makers didn't get much attention and look at them now. The Stinger speaks to enthusiasts on a level that hasn't been met in decades, finally its bad. Kia is on a roll.... they just need time on the culture end.

No one would have bought a performance Hyundai a few years ago, but we've seen that change with the i30N. Japanese and Korean car manufacturers have begun to prove that they can bring affordable and capable performance models to market.

KoreanTune said:

No one would have bought a performance Hyundai a few years ago, but we've seen that change with the i30N. Japanese and Korean car manufacturers have begun to prove that they can bring affordable and capable performance models to market.

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I fully believe that if Toyota ever starts offering real performance variants of their cars, the car market will be in for a big change.

Well we've already seen what Toyota has accomplished with the GRMN Yaris, and we know that they have plans for a similar performance trim on the Supra. I would love to see what they could do with a performance focused Corolla.