Kia Motors, South Korea’s No. 2 automotive company, on Tuesday released its first-ever high-performance sports car, the Stinger, with an aim to expand its consumer base.

“The Stinger is the fruit of creativity and differentiated technology. It will open a new paradigm of high performance premium sedans on revolutionary design and driving performance,” said Lee Hyoung-keun, vice chairman of Kia Motors, at a media event at Grand Intercontinental Seoul Parnas in southern Seoul.

The target sales of the Stinger for this year is 8,000 units, which equates to about 1,000 units per month, the company said.

A total of 2,000 units have been sold through preliminary orders carried out over eight business days, Kia Motors said. Among the orders, the 3.3 twin-turbo model made up 850 units, showing drivers’ preference for the engine installed in the Stinger for the first time among Kia Motor vehicles, the company said.

Kia Motors’ latest Stinger boasts high performance, while targeting a wider consumer base with a relatively affordable price tag. 

The introduction of the Stinger comes as Kia Motors struggles to turn around poor performance due to declining sales in China and aging models losing popularity in the US.

“The Stinger is offered at an affordable price compared to its rivals and Hyundai’s luxury brand Genesis, while showing equivalent high performance. It is expected to popularize high performance sedans in Korea, as Hyundai’s sports car Tiburon did some 30 years ago,” said Kim Pil-soo, a professor of automotive engineering at Daelim University.

Kia Motors highlighted the powerful Lambda II V6 3.3 twin-turbo GDI with a zero-back of 4.9 seconds, which was previously featured in Hyundai Motor’s luxury brand models Genesis G80 Sport and Genesis EQ900, or known globally as the G90.

The 3.3 twin-turbo model has a horsepower of 370, and a maximum torque of 52 kilogram-force meter, boasting one of the most powerful engines among similar models, the company said.

Seeking to target a wider consumer base to boost sales, Kia Motors said it paid extra attention to pricing.

The Stinger, which rivals the German luxury Audi A4 and BMW3 series in global markets, has a price range between 35 million won ($31,150) to 48.8 million won, up to 20 million won cheaper than its rivals, the company said.

The target consumer group for the Stinger are men in their 30s and 40s who seek exclusiveness and high performance in automobiles, the company said.

In terms of autonomous safety features, the latest model is equipped with a highway driving assist, which is a first for Kia Motors models.

The HDA system maintains a safe distance from the car ahead and makes sure the vehicle stays within the lane.

Other smart safety systems such as the smart cruise control, lane keeping assist, driver attention warning and more are equipped in the model to ensure safety and enhance convenience, the company said. 

By Kim Bo-gyung  (lisakim425@heraldcorp.com)