The brand new Kia Stinger launched at the recently-concluded 2017 Detroit Motor Show, is likely to feature an all-electric model that will rival Tesla's upcoming Model 3.
The sleek, all-new 5-door GT will be launched along with a 3.3-litre V6, followed by 2.0-litre petrol and then a 2.0-litre diesel model. But assuming the initial reaction to the Stinger is good, then the all-electric version will automatically get the nod.
About the all-new Kia Stinger
In an exclusive interview with Auto Express during the Stinger's unveiling on the eve of the Detroit show, Spencer Cho, Kia's head of overseas marketing, said that this all-new platform is 100% capable of a full EV powertrain during a later date.
The 365bhp V6 model will be arriving this coming October with the 252bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine coming early in 2018, and to be followed a few months later by a diesel-powered version with a development of Kia's existing 2.0-litre diesel engine. This means that an all-electric version is unlikely to be seen much before the end of 2018 or more likely, 2019.
New technologies for the Stinger
Spencer Cho has also promised that the Stinger would have a lot of technological features on board during its launch, with a lot more to come. He also said that the company is working on level 3 and 4 autonomous technology, and the Stinger is definitely a good platform to add some of that technology too. "We're carefully evaluating this technology before we decide to put it into our cars, though," Cho said.
Albert Biermann, Kia's engineering boss, has also confirmed that a 4-wheel drive version of the Stinger is also on its way to battle the likes of the Quattro versions of Audi's new A5 and the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupé X Drive models.
Official Price
The official price for the V6 Stinger is likely to start at around the £40,000 mark with a fully-loaded model costing at around £43,000. The 2.0-litre petrol should cost about £35,000 with the diesel set to be sold in the high thirties.
