While the Kia Stinger is a beloved car by those who’ve had the good fortune to drive one, that may not have been enough. Although not completely confirmed, the Stinger is likely on its last legs. It’s rumored that Kia has canceled the car, but the Kia Stinger may rise from its ashes as an EV instead.

Why the Kia Stinger is probably canceled

According to Motor1, it’s not an industry secret that the Stinger hasn’t been selling well. The Stinger was Kia’s worst-selling model in America. Kia sold under 14,000 Stingers in the U.S. in 2019. In 2020, sales dropped to about 12,500. Despite the rebounding economy, the Stinger doesn’t look like it’s recovering well in 2021. 

Motor1 said that Stinger’s only seen a 147 unit increase in year-to-date sales compared to 2020. Like many other canceled cars, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Kia canceled the Stinger because of poor sales. According to Motor1, that’s what’s rumored right now. Kia hasn’t outright confirmed this, but Motor1 wrote that plans posted by a Korean car blog said that Kia would stop producing the Stinger in early 2022.

The Kia Stinger story and why it could be an EV

According to Motor1, it would be strange for Kia to cancel the Stinger now since it received an update not that long ago. The car itself isn’t old. Green Car Reports wrote that the Stinger was unveiled in 2017. That means that it has only been around for less than five years.

It would also make sense for Kia to do something drastic since there’s not much history behind the car, and it’s not selling well. Like Green Car Reports said, even back when Kia unveiled the Stinger in 2017, Kia executives gave hints that it could become an EV. In 2020, Green Car Reports said that Kia execs again gave hints that the Stinger may become an EV due to a changing “appetite” for EVs.

Kia does have plans to electrify its lineup. The company plans on introducing 11 EV models by 2026. While not many details are known about those 11 EVs right now, the Stinger EV can be one of them. After all, canceled cars have been revived as EVs before. One of the bigger examples is the Hummer. It was canceled years ago but recently came back as an EV.

The current and future Kia EV lineup

Kia may turn the Stinger into an EV in a bid to revive its sales. The Stinger is already inviting itself to become an EV in a way. The Stinger is supposed to be a performance-driven car, and if it had some electric motors, it could be even quicker.

One way or another, Kia’s EV lineup is only growing. The Kia EV6 is already in production and is set to debut in the U.S. next year. The other EV in Kia’s lineup is the Niro EV, and it’s received praise as well.  What’s worth noting is that both the Niro EV and the EV6 are SUVs. If the Stinger does become an EV, it can serve as a valuable segment for Kia.