Kia Just Teased What Looks A Lot Like A New Stinger GT

The automaker hasn’t shared any details beyond calling the mystery model a vision of the future. And given its proportions and sleek, aero-focused silhouette, it’s a good bet we’re looking at an electric vehicle.

Kia EV8 Incoming?
The brilliant, if often overlooked, Kia Stinger bowed out after the 2023 model year, leaving the world with one less rear-wheel drive sports sedan – a breed that is growing scarcer with each passing year. While Kia hasn’t confirmed a direct successor for the Stinger, the automaker’s president, Ho Sung Song, stated late last year that such a vehicle was at least under study.

Unconfirmed union documents also surfaced in early 2024 outlining production plans for a model called the EV8, intended to replace both the Stinger and the overseas-market K8, and due around 2026 with over 600 horsepower. The K8, a midsize sedan whose earlier generations were sold in the US as the Cadenza, received a mid-cycle refresh last year and will be due for replacement in the coming years, fitting with the rumored timeline.

Complicating matters, however, are more recent reports suggesting the rumored EV8 may have been canceled. Perhaps Kia has returned to the drawing board to rethink the direction of a future performance sedan. For now, we’ll have to wait and see.

If it is a sleek electric sedan, Kia already has the perfect platform to work with. The Hyundai Ioniq 6 has proven to be an impressive rival to the Tesla Model 3, and in Ioniq 6 N form, would form the perfect basis for a Stinger GT successor. Kia and Hyundai have leveraged the E-GMP architecture on several shared-segment projects, notably pairing the EV6 and Ioniq 5 and the Ioniq 9 and EV9, but the Ioniq 6 sedan doesn't have a Kia counterpart... yet.

A Glimpse At Kia's Evolving Design Language
Kia has already shown off an electric fastback sedan in the form of the EV4, which debuted earlier this year but still isn’t confirmed for US sale. This new concept follows the same design playbook, only pushed in a far more aerodynamically obsessed direction.

The front end’s drooping nose and ultra-short overhang look like they were lifted from a Lamborghini, while the arching roofline – stretching nearly the full length of the car – also gives off exotic-car vibes. Out back, the rear overhang is even shorter than the front, chopped off by a flat, Kammback rear end framed by dropping taillights, a cue shared with the EV4. One especially intriguing detail is the split headlight setup: a main unit up front and a second element that runs along the top of the fender before meeting a rear-facing camera that stands in for the traditional side mirror.

Could this design actually preview something in the pipeline? Kia has plenty of EVs on deck. In its latest strategy update, announced in 2024, the automaker said it plans to field 15 EVs globally by 2027. A US-bound electric pickup has been confirmed, though its exact timing is still murky. An EV2 subcompact crossover is also coming, and it may be joined by an even smaller EV1 if recent trademarks pan out. With any luck, an electric sports sedan inspired by this latest concept will find its way into that future lineup.