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Kia: Stinger can live for another decade

There’s still plenty of life left in the Kia Stinger for Australia according to the local boss.

KIA AUSTRALIA WANTS the Stinger to survive, amid rumours the slow selling sports sedan may not get a second generation. 

Reports from Europe and North America suggest the brand is considering its options for the next generation of the model, specifically if it continues in the declining large sedan segment. But Kia Australia COO Damien Meredith doesn’t mind if the current model is stretched out beyond a typical five to seven-year lifecycle.

The South Korean brand is expected to launch a facelifted model in 2020, which will not only get a minor nip and tuck to the styling but also a fresh Australian suspension tune. As long as Kia keeps giving the car minor refreshes Meredith said he’d be happy to extend the Stinger’s life to a decade, which would take it to 2027.

“For example, if the second generation or major model change or whatever you want to call it, if we continue with the current Stinger as it is with product enhancements, I don’t care if it’s a seven-year lifecycle or a 10-year lifecycle,” Meredith told Practical Motoring.

“It’s done an amazing job for our brand. We’re lucky it averages about 140-150 [sales] a month, so we’re relatively happy. I would have loved to have sold a lot more but the market doesn’t allow us to do that.”

While it has sold below expectations Meredith is adamant the company won’t change its sales strategy in order to chase more volume.

“What we’ve done is, apart from police, we’ve limited fleet business,” he explained. “We’ve done that on purpose because we want it to remain a halo car.”


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Stephen Ottley

Stephen Ottley