Snapshot
- The Stinger Tribute Edition is limited to 1000 units globally.
- The announcement of the end of production is a shock for Australia.
- The Stinger remains in the Oz business plan for 2023.
- Kia Global is yet to announce the final production date.
Kia has said it will. Lay the stinger to rest. After the last of 1000 Tribute Editions the production line was shut down… but Australia is determined to lift back.
The fate of the Kia Stinger has long been in question with tightening emissions mandates as well as growing demand for SUVs and electric vehicles. There certainly won’t be a second-generation vehicle in combustion form as the EV6 GT takes over as Kia’s flagship.
As a global last resort, the Tribute Edition wears special matte gray paintwork and gets exclusive terracotta-tanned leather inside, with its mechanical attributes unchanged.
“The Tribute Edition pays tribute to Kia’s vision of high performance, and celebrates the Stinger sedan’s outstanding contribution to the brand since its introduction in 2017. As production of the groundbreaking model ends”Kia said in a statement.
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Stinger will remain in Australia until 2023.
Still it looks like Stinger is fighting the dirt out of his coffin for a while, at least in Oz. Kia’s Australian arm has been fighting the rumored death of the Stinger for some time now, and while head office has popped the last Sting for a rear-drive liftback, the Aussie isn’t keen to back down just yet.
“The official end of production date has not been announced by [Kia] Globally, we are still taking orders and plan to sell as many as we can next year,” a Kia Australia spokesperson said. The wheels
Far from seeing the success of Australia as a key market for tributes, Stinger instead seems to ‘Business as usual‘ approach confirmed Kia executives The wheels Will continue at the beginning of the year.
Australia’s lack of fines for overselling petrol or diesel vehicles is also a key factor in the Stinger’s continued success here. There are currently four variants in the Stinger range, spanning from $55,490-$69,890.
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“We will not introduce a tribute model.. Due to the strong demand for the Stinger in Australia and backorders to fill, the Tribute Edition will only create even more demand which is ultimately unnecessary,” added the spokesperson.
Sales figures prove the Stinger’s love in Australia has only grown over the years, with the Holden Commodore SS and spiritual successor to the Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo selling 2161 in the 11 recorded months of 2022, compared to 1371. 58 percent is more. same period last year.
Kia says that until Global gives a real ultimatum in the form of a final production date for the Stinger, it will continue to take orders down. Regardless of its Australian success, it looks like the Stinger will be phased out in 2023 or early 2024 as global demand dwindles.
What makes the Stinger Tribute Edition so special?
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It is finished in Moonscape Matt Gray Doco with black 19-inch alloy wheels. The exterior features another black package, with contrast mirror caps, headlight surrounds and Brembo brake calipers.
Inside there’s terracotta-tanned leather upholstery – exclusive to the Tribute Edition – fitted with a steering wheel, armrests and seats that now feature a new Wasp logo in the headrests. There’s also carbon fiber-look interior trim and numbered door plaques.
Under the bonnet, the Stinger’s 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine remains, producing an identical 274kW/510Nm output. Although the model in Australia is exclusively rear-wheel drive with a limited-slip differential fitted, AWD is available in other markets. All Kia Stinger GTs have an eight-speed torque converter automatic transmission.