Kia swaps flagship gas Stinger GT for electric EV6 in UK, reflecting EV performance dominance
A new performance high-performance model from Kia is set to take over the streets of the UK. If you liked the Kia Stinger GT sports saloon, then you will love its electric replacement, the Kia EV6 GT, the South Korean automaker’s most powerful production car to date.
According to a report from Autocar, the Kia Stinger GT will no longer be available for UK customers after a short five-year run.
Although Kia’s Stinger was never meant to be a top seller in the UK market, its launch was “a transformative moment” for Kia, according to Kia UK CEO Paul Philpott.
Meanwhile, as Kia undergoes a full-scale transformation toward electric vehicles, the automaker plans to solidify its position as a leading EV maker. Part of this plan is to carry the GT line into the future of zero-emission high-performance travel.
In August, Kia unveiled its fastest production vehicle, the fully electric EV6 GT. Although Kia and fast are not often associated, the high-performance EV model beat a Ferrari and Lamborghini in a race. According to the release:
In independent testing performed by leading third party AMCI, the EV6 GT out-accelerated a Ferrari Roma and Lamborghini Huracan Evo Spyder RWD.
Kia’s EV6 can compete with the best with 576 hp, 0 to 60 mph capabilities in 3.4 seconds, and top speeds of 161 mph. It’s powered by a 77.4 kWh battery, a 160 kW front motor, and a 270 kW rear motor. For superior performance, Kia includes “drift mode,” which distributes power to the rear wheels.
In a sign of the changing times, the Kia EV6 GT performance car is now set to “take the baton” from its flagship Stinger in the UK as the auto industry transitions to electric.
Kia says goodbye to Stinger and hello to EV6 GT
Autocar notes Kia’s electric EV6 is set to reach customers in the UK in the final stretch of 2022. Although the article mentions it’s not a “direct replacement,” Kia says its EV6 is the perfect car to “take the baton” from the Stinger.
Kia’s UK boss Paul Philpott adds:
Our future product plan has a major focus on electrification, and globally Kia plans to offer a line-up of 14 EVs by 2027. Combining high-performance capabilities with an incredible design and a long-range electric powertrain, the EV6 GT is an important part of this plan and a true new flagship for the Kia brand.
While the Stinger was capable of 0 to 60 mph time in 4.7 seconds with 300 hp, the fully electric EV cranks up the performance with AWD, 0 to 60 capabilities of 3.4 seconds, and 576 hp.
Head of design at Kia, Karim Habib, comments on the Stingers electric successor, saying:
The spirit of Stinger remains and will remain. I like to think that the EV6 has the genes of the GT. We’re doing to do a GT of that, and it has the Stinger in it.
Electrek’s Take
This is not the first (or the last) time that we will see an electric vehicle replace an iconic gas-powered model. Ford has already started upgrading consumer favorite models, such as the Mustang and F-150 trucks, into pure EVs.
In fact, Ford announced in late October it would be dropping the popular Ford Fiesta model to focus on accelerating its electric vehicle rollout.
Expect to see more of this as the auto industry and nations around the world transition to zero-emission electric vehicles.
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Tesla has started to offer discounted financing on Cybertruck as the electric pickup truck undoubtedly turns out to be a flop.
Tesla claimed over 1 million reservations for the Cybertruck, and CEO Elon Musk said he could see Tesla producing 500,000 units per year.
However, that was before Tesla announced that the production version would be much more expensive and have a shorter range than what was initially announced.
The Cybertruck has now been in production for a year and a half, and it looks like Tesla would be lucky to sell about 10% of Musk’s goal of 500,000 units.
The automaker doesn’t report Cybertruck sales, but it is estimated that Tesla delivered roughly 40,000 Cybertrucks in 2024, and it is expected to have even more issues selling the truck this year.
Tesla has taken several steps to help sales.
We reported that Tesla launched Cybertruck leases to help move vehicles. The company is even still tucked with “Foundations Series” Cybertrucks, and we found out that Tesla buffed “Foundations Series” badges out of some trucks to sell them as cheaper regular Cybertrucks.
For the remaining “Foundations Series,” which there still are despite Tesla switching to regular Cybertruck production in October, Tesla has even offered free Supercharging for life.
Now, Tesla is stepping up its game, and it is offering discounted financing on new Cybertruck orders:
Tesla announced 1.99% APR for a limited time:
1.99% APR available for a limited time for well-qualified buyers
WIthout the “promotion”, the rate for excellent credit is 5.84%.
While Tesla is discounting the rates, it is not discounting them as much as for new Model 3 orders.
We reported earlier this week that Tesla offers 0% and 0.99% with $0 down on new Model 3 orders in the US until the end of the quarter.
Electrek’s Take
It is very possible that Tesla can’t sell more than 10,000 Cybertrucks this quarter, which would extrapolate to 40,000 units per year or less than 10% of what Elon said he would see Tesla delivering.
Now, the cheaper single motor Cybertruck should help, but by how much? It could bring Tesla to 20-30% of the volume Elon saw possible?
I think it’s fairly clear that the Cybertruck is a flop.
Tesla launched a single new vehicle in the last 5 years and it is a flop.
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Environment
Toyota launched its cheapest EV in China and it crashed the server starting at just $15,000
Toyota looks to grab a bigger share of the world’s largest EV market as it takes aim at BYD and other low-cost leaders. On Thursday, Toyota launched its cheapest EV in China, the bZ3X, starting at roughly $15,000. The new electric SUV crashed the server with over 10,000 orders in an hour.
Meet Toyota’s cheapest EV in China, the bZ3X
The bz3X is Toyota’s “first 100,000 yuan-level pure electric SUV” in China and its cheapest EV to hit the market so far.
Toyota’s Chinese joint venture, GAC-Toyota officially launched the “Bozhi 3X,” or bZ3X for short, in China on March 6. Shortly after, the company said orders for its new electric SUV were “so popular that the server crashed” after revealing prices start at just over $15,000 (109,800 yuan).
After securing over 10,000 orders in just one hour, Toyota boasted again that “the server is overwhelmed.” The launch comes after blind pre-orders opened in December, starting at just under $14,000 (100,000 yuan).
The bZ3X is available in two versions, with or without its full-scenario smart driving tech. The non-smart tech model starts at 109,800 yuan ($15,000) with five trim options while the smart driving model starts at 149,800 yuan ($20,500).
For 159,800 yuan ($22,000), the range-topping “610 Max” trim provides up to 610 km (379 miles) CLTC range from a 67.92 kWh LFP battery. The base “430 Air” gets up to 430 km (267 miles) from a 50.03 kWh LFP battery pack.
Toyota said the interior provides “a mobile space that is comfortable as home,” with front and rear seats that can fold down to provide nearly 10 feet (3 meters) of space.
Inside, the electric SUV has a 14.6″ infotainment screen with voice recognition and an 8.8″ driver display. It also includes a two-spoke multi-function steering wheel.
Toyota’s new bZ3X is its first vehicle with the Momenta 5.0 Intelligent Driving System. Powered by NVIDIA Drive AGX Orin X, it comes with 25 ADAS features, such as parallel parking, remote control parking, high-speed pilot, light traffic assist, and blind spot monitoring.
GAC-Toyota claimed it will be “one of the first automakers in the world to realize a one-stage end-to-end intelligent driving model.” With human-like intelligence, the vehicle “gets smarter and better with use.”
At 4,600 mm long, 1,875 mm wide, and 1,645 mm tall, Toyota’s cheapest EV in China is about the size of BYD’s Yuan Plus (Atto 3) at 4,455 mm long, 1,875 mm wide, and 1,615 mm tall. Starting at 115,800 yuan ($16,000), Toyota’s new bZ3X slightly undercuts BYD’s electric SUV.
What do you think of Toyota’s new electric SUV? Would you buy one for around $15,000? We’ll keep dreaming.
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