Kia is eager to revive the Stinger in electric guise. Not in the least to boost its emotional and design appeal, but also to diversify its electric portfolio beyond volume-selling SUVs. However, it seems that the high engineering costs for a dedicated performance EV are currently preventing a production greenlight.
Kia is actively exploring a fully electric spiritual successor to its discontinued Stinger sports sedan. A car that could even challenge the likes of the Polestar 5. To keep the buzz alive, the Korean carmaker brought its Vision Meta Turismo to Milan Design Week. Originally, the concept already broke cover at a dedicated event in Seoul late last year.
Milan Design Week
Talking to Autocar, Karim Habib, Kia’s head of design, confirmed that the manufacturer still intends to cater to the enthusiast segment. As a conceptual foundation for this potential model, the Meta Turismo is tailored to the “gamer generation.” This ambiance comes alive in the interior, with a yoke-style steering and an immersive experience.
Though Kia’s executives have more or less greenlit the project, its arrival depends on a crucial factor: cost competitiveness. This might hint to the nascent technology of solid-state batteries. So, don’t expect to see a Stinger meet Meta Turismo in the streets anywhere soon.
Diversifying the EV Portfolio
But the message is clear: Kia wants to build models beyond practical utility vehicles. While the manufacturer’s SUV sales remain highly profitable, Habib highlighted an internal push to explore form factors that prioritize driving engagement.
The broader Hyundai Motor Group, of which Kia is part, has already demonstrated the technical feasibility of such engaging electric models through its N division. The E-GMP-built 5 and 6 under this moniker have garnered worldwide acclaim, while the innovation of gearbox shifts in an electric car has received widespread acclaim in the press. Translating that into sales is, of course, a completely different thing.
Financial bottleneck
Despite having the design framework and engineering resources in place, Kia is constrained by the aforementioned battery economics. Engineering a low-slung, high-performance battery-electric vehicle requires a substantial capital investment. It is not easy to put it on display at an accessible price.
Habib explicitly stated that a sustainable business case simply does not exist at this point. Kia anticipates that as electric vehicle adoption increases and battery costs stabilize, the financial barriers to producing an electric sports sedan will be lower. The spiritual godfather, Stinger, officially ended its internal combustion production run in 2023.
