Skip advert
Advertisement

Electric Kia Stinger GT to rival Tesla Model 3

New Kia Stinger GT car is ready for battery tech, but diesel and four-wheel drive will be added first

Kia Stinger GT - front static white

The new Kia Stinger, launched at the 2017 Detroit Motor Show, is likely to feature an all-electric model that will rival Tesla’s forthcoming Model 3 saloon. 

The sleek new five-door GT will be launched with a 3.3-litre V6, followed by 2.0-litre petrol and then a 2.0-litre diesel model. But assuming the reaction to the Stinger is good, then the all-electric version will get the go-ahead.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Full story on the new Kia Stinger

Speaking exclusively to Auto Express at the Stinger’s unveiling on the eve of the Detroit show, Spencer Cho, Kia’s head of overseas marketing, said: “This all-new platform is capable of a full EV powertrain at a later date.” 

The 365bhp V6 model arrives this October with the 252bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine coming early in 2018, to be followed a few months later by a diesel version with a development of Kia’s existing 2.0-litre diesel engine. That means an all-electric version is unlikely to be seen much before the end of 2018 or more likely 2019.

Kia Stinger GT - rear static white

Spencer Cho promised that the Stinger would have plenty of tech on board at launch, with more to come. He told us: “We are working on level three and level four autonomous technology and the Stinger is a good platform to add some of that technology to. “We’re carefully evaluating this technology before we put it into our cars, though.”

Kia’s engineering boss, Albert Biermann, has also confirmed that a four-wheel drive version of the Stinger is also on the way, to battle the likes of the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupé X Drive models and Quattro versions of Audi’s new A5.

Prices for the V6 Stinger are likely to start at around the £40,000 mark with a fully-loaded model costing around £43,000. The 2.0-litre petrol should cost from around £35,000 with the diesel set to be somewhere in the high thirties.

Would you consider an electric Kia Stinger? Let us know in the comments section below...

Skip advert
Advertisement
Editor-in-chief

Steve Fowler has been editor-in-chief of Auto Express since 2011 and is responsible for all editorial content across the website and magazine. He has previously edited What Car?, Autocar and What Hi-Fi? and has been writing about cars for the best part of 30 years. 

Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Road tax set to rise in April: here’s how much more you’ll pay
Road tax documentation
News

Road tax set to rise in April: here’s how much more you’ll pay

Drivers with newer cars will now pay £10 more per year, although the biggest gas guzzlers fare even worse
28 Mar 2024
Posh new trim level for Dacia Sandero while the Sandero Stepway gets more power
Dacia Sandero - front
News

Posh new trim level for Dacia Sandero while the Sandero Stepway gets more power

Both the Sandero and Sandero Stepway ranges have been tweaked, gaining more safety features to meet the latest regulations
26 Mar 2024
Huge Audi new car blitz to bring us 9 models in 2 years
Upcoming Audi models - four-way image
News

Huge Audi new car blitz to bring us 9 models in 2 years

After a quiet few years, the German giant is gearing up for its biggest product onslaught to date
25 Mar 2024