by Kia has published a mysterious teaser on social media of a new streamlined electric sports sedan, which made us switch into full ‘decode and zoom’ mode. The darkened preview shows a low four-door car with a forward-shifted cabin, which could be our first look at the spiritual successor to the Stinger sedan.
The teaser contains few details but many hints. The car has a long wheelbase and very short overhangs, indicating that it is not a traditional front-engine, rear-wheel-drive car like the Stinger. Such proportions suggest that this is an electric vehicle.
Also Read: Kia EV9 GT Launch Indefinitely Postponed
While it clearly has four doors, the front part of the profile is almost like that of a supercar — with a heavily raked windshield that stretches smoothly all the way to the roof area above the rear seats.
The rear window repeats this technique in the opposite direction, only this time the glass splits to go around the ‘tongue’ of the windshield.
Other details visible in the illuminated versions of Kia’s dark Instagram shots include muscular square shoulders, like on the EV4, and front daytime running lights that run back from the nose to the cameras instead of mirrors.
Through the glass, what appears to be a yoke steering wheel is barely noticeable, hinting at the use of a steer-by-wire system with variable gear ratio in the concept, like in the Lexus RZ.
Kia has not named the car or set a presentation date, but it could slot between the EV6 and EV9 as something like an EV7 or EV8. Such positioning perfectly aligns with previous comments by Kia President Ho Sung Song to journalists, who openly expressed the idea of creating a performance-oriented electric ‘halo car’ to elevate the brand’s status.
Of course, talk of a new Stinger successor only reminds us how much of a game-changer the original was when it appeared in 2017. The Stinger GT was a coming-of-age moment for Kia — it was a rear-wheel-drive fastback, tuned by former BMW M engineers, with a choice between a 2.0-liter turbo or a 3.3-liter bi-turbo V6. It had the style, performance, and level of driver engagement that no one expected from Kia.
Although critics adored it, sales were modest, and the Stinger quietly left the stage in 2023. But much has changed since then, and models like the EV9 have paved the way for expensive, desirable electric vehicles with the Kia emblem on the nose. Haven’t they?
After showing the high-performance EV9 GT at the Los Angeles Auto Show in 2024, Kia postponed the launch of this ‘hot’ crossover this year due to ‘market conditions,’ so perhaps this four-door coupe will have better luck as a range-extender hybrid. What do you think?
