The Kia Stinger is not exactly a new car, in fact, it was launched about 3 years ago. Though a potent car, the sales for this particular 4-door has not been up to the company’s expectations. Therefore come 2021, Kia will put the Stinger through a mid-cycle refresh to make it more desirable for people to sit-up and take notice and get their hands on this vehicle. The South Korean manufacturer is supposed to make quite a few changes to this car in hopes to put a dent to the German dominance in the compact executive fastback market. The biggest talking point among these upgrades, however, is more power, a variable exhaust, and a larger infotainment screen.
Starting at the top, the range-topping GT can get an upgraded version of the current twin-turbo 3.3-liter V6 engine. There should be an increase in the power output to 380 hp and 390 lb-ft as opposed to 365 horsepower and 376 pound-feet in the current version. The reason for this significant bump in output is due to the implementation of a variable exhaust system with adjustable flaps which also will change the soundtrack of the engine. This implementation marks the first time Kia is doing so. The engine now should probably have much more juice for the enthusiasts courtesy of the new bimodal exhaust system. Those who were wishing that Kia introduce the 3.5-liter turbo V6 which is currently serving the new Genesis G80 in the Stinger will be disappointed though as there are no plans for that to happen.
There are some styling changes too in this update. Some larger exhaust tips are expected to be featured due to the new exhaust system. The front and rear bumpers will receive some styling tweaks. Changes will also be made to the headlights as well as the taillights. The taillights will now be linked to one another with the help of a full-width LED light bar which nowadays is nothing special and is a common sight in most cars but it helps the Stinger to be a part of a common design language as rest of its Kia siblings. What might be special inside is a new 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system which will replace the current 8-inch setup. More changes include a fully digital instrument cluster to replace the analog dials.
Kia should introduce the 2021 Stinger in domestic markets by July and the European and North American versions should follow soon. This update should surely increase the desirability factor as the Stinger has been doing poorly as far as sales are concerned with the demand in 2019 dropping to 17.5 percent to 13,861 units. Kia has already discontinued the Premium trim packages although at the same time they did introduce the Stinger GTS for the year 2020.