The rear-drive Stinger, with a bi-turbo V6 engine, is being heralded as a replacement for the now defunct Falcon XR6 and soon-to-be obsolete Holden Commodore SS. State Police agencies are seeking details of the Stinger to replace their Commodore and Falcon fleets.
Kia Motors Australia (KMAu) says that, with eight months still to go before going on sale, it has already been taking orders from private buyers with deposits taken, despite no confirmation by KMAu of the final price.
KMAu chief operating officer Damien Meredith said the Stinger would unashamedly aim straight for the customer void left by the Falcon and departing Commodore.
“I’m a great believer in the Australian manufacturing industry and think that it is sad that it is closing down in this country,” he said.
“But I don’t think the customer is (as concerned), so I’m quietly confident that Stinger will find an enthusiastic market and do a good job for us.”
Mr Meredith, speaking exclusively to GoAutoNews Premium, said chasing the Commodore will be done with two models – a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine and a 3.3-litre V6 bi-turbo engine.
The V6 will be the first launched in Australia, in August, followed by the 2.0-litre. Both are being targeted by police departments in NSW and Western Australia with the V6 aimed at pursuit vehicle roles, and the smaller engine for less performance-oriented tasks.
Asked if the Stinger would cannibalise sales from Kia’s other four-door sedan, the Optima, Mr Meredith said he believed it would help all Kia models.
“Stinger will actually help Optima on the showroom floor and improve its sales. In fact, it will help all Kia models,” he said.
But though Kia has a busy year – it has just launched its fourth-generation Rio light car with a $17,490 driveaway price before introducing a new Picanto micro car in the second quarter – there will be no changes to the dealer numbers.
Mr Meredith said he was happy with the number of dealers at the moment and said he cannot see the arrival of Stinger affecting dealer numbers.
Part of the reason is that the supply of Stinger is, as yet, unknown.
“We have not talked about supply numbers but we will be able to get to dealers what we can,” Mr Meredith said of the car’s supply.
“But the global success of the Stinger may limit numbers for Australia.
“All Stingers will be made in Korea and there’s no plans in the near future to add production elsewhere.
“Production will go first to the US – it’s a huge market – and less so to Europe, though there will be strong demand in the UK.”
“If the US takes the majority of volume, then that affects Australia. So we can’t predict volume for Australia.”
Kia has made no changes to the way it intends marketing its new high-performance rear-drive sedan, the first of its type made by the company and a stark contrast to its front-wheel-drive hatchbacks and sedans, and all-wheel drive SUVs.
It said all dealer staff receive training on all new models and the Stinger’s introduction is no different, adding that many sales staff may have previous experience selling Falcons and Commodores.
“We are one of the first markets in the world to get the Stinger and we still have about eight months of preparation ahead before its Australian launch,” said KMAu general manager of media and corporate communications Kevin Hepworth.
“We have sales and technical training for dealer staff on Stinger but, largely, it is a car that is likely to sell itself.”
The price of the car is yet to be confirmed though the ballpark for the four-cylinder and the V6 variants are believed to be between $45,000 and $55,000. A rumoured high-performance GT version may push the flagship closer to $60,000.
KMAu is also prepared to pay a five per cent tariff on the car. Despite Australia and South Korea having a free-trade agreement, it exempts high-performance cars so the V6-engined Stinger will be levied with the tariff.
Mr Meredith said this has nothing to do with competition with the locally-made Commodore and won’t expire when Holden ceases production.
“I think we have about two years to go before that tariff may be dropped,” he said.
“In the meantime, it’s a cost we have to pay. We will treat it like any other cost, such as currency exchange rates.”
Kia outlines its wish list
A UTE, a small SUV and perhaps involvement with motorsports are on the wish list for Kia Motors Australia (KMAu).
KMAu COO Damien Meredith said he would “love to see a small SUV as quickly as possible”.
“A Rio-size SUV would be great for us,” he said.
“The Mazda CX-3 is a strong seller and has a big following so it would be a segment we’d love to be involved with but as yet nothing is planned.
“We would also like a good range of light-commercial vehicles.
“A ute is certainly not on the horizon but, again, nothing has been confirmed. It certainly would also be great for us to have a ute.
“We are a net importer and what we get is what we have to sell and so that is what we will concentrate on doing. We’re happy with our growth at the moment.”
Asked if Stinger would produce a coupe version later, Mr Meredith said “not for the moment”.
“Let’s get Stinger right first and then we’ll look at the options available to us,” he said.
He also said motorsports for the Stinger was “not off the agenda”.
“One of the great challenges is a rear-drive, high-powered sports saloon and that has never been done before in Australia as a volume importer.”
Mr Meredith said that despite the cross-shareholding of Hyundai and Kia, and the common use of drivetrain components, there was no direct competition.
“We compete very, very hard in the marketplace but there’s no set strategy,” he said.
“Each wants to see strong competition in sales as a whole.”
By Neil Dowling
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