Kia’s lineup in the United States is on a roll, with the Korean marque shattering sales records almost every quarter. But there’s been a void ever since the fun but underrated Kia Stinger sedan was discontinued in 2023. Easily one of the most desirable Kia models, the Stinger boasted engaging rear-wheel-drive dynamics and an alluring design. No successor has arrived, but that could change in the not-too-distant future, as Kia plans to build a production version of the exciting Vision Meta Turismo concept first revealed last year.
Kia Believes There’s Opportunity Beyond SUVs
Ever since the Vision Meta Turismo concept was revealed, its sporty proportions hinted at an electric revival of a sports sedan in the vein of the previous Stinger. That’s now more than a dream, as Karim Habib, Kia design chief, said such a flagship sedan is in the works—but only once its pricing becomes viable.
"At this point, it is more strategic,” said Habib when asked by Autocarwhat’s stopping the company from putting the four-door GT into production now. “It's a pure EV and the price of doing a high-performance EV is what is slowing us down. Hopefully, the upward movement of EVs keeps going. I think there will be more openness to this [type of] car.”
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Habib also spoke about Kia’s current success with SUVs, which he acknowledged as a positive. However, it doesn’t sound like Kia will follow brands like Buick and Lincoln by having an SUV-only lineup.
"We have a small history of doing cars like the Stinger and that's something we don't want to give up on,” said Habib. “The Meta Turismo is our idea of a sports sedan for the gamer generation. A few years ago, we started thinking about what could we do beyond SUVs? We do produce and sell a lot of SUVs, which is good, but we also believe that there's more than that."
Next-Generation Kia Design
The Vision Meta Turismo embodies the next chapter of Kia’s “Opposites United” design language. The stance is explicitly low and wide, hinting at a sporty performance character; the interior does the same, whereby the driver’s area has its own color scheme, which differs from the rest of the cabin. We expect elements like the dramatic glass roof with geometric panels to be toned down for production. Kia is considering implementing elements of the highly minimalist and tech-forward interior for production, too.
There’s no word on the powertrain or technical specifications yet, but Kia has already produced the 641-horsepower EV6 GT, and we would expect the Stinger’s spiritual successor to be at least as powerful as that EV. Kia doesn’t have a performance division like Hyundai’s N, though, so this may be more of a rapid GT than a true track weapon.
What It Means
If Kia was all about profits and sales, it would simply double down on SUVs. But this is a courageous brand with a sporting side, and recreating what the Stinger represented for a new generation will showcase that. The Vision Meta Turismo’s jaw-dropping design is a great starting point, but it may be a while before Kia can package it as a production model—and at a feasible price point. If Kia gets the recipe right, we could be looking at a formidable EV with the performance of a BMW i3 or Tesla Model 3 Performance.
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