Kia Stinger GT on the cards for Australian police

An artist impression of the Kia Stinger GT as it may appear in local police service

Kia could be about to give the term 'Police sting' a whole new meaning, with the Korean brand looking to submit its all-new Stinger sedan for evaluation as a potential police vehicle when it arrives in Australia in September.

The rear-wheel drive Stinger sedan was just unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show, and is scheduled to arrive in Australia with a choice of 2.0-litre four cylinder petrol engine, or a headline-stealing 3.3-litre, twin-turbo V6 in the GT model that will generate 272kW/510Nm - numbers that outshine all but the biggest Holden Commodore V8. At just over 4.8m in length, it matches the current police sedan fleet for size, too.

The GT should prove plenty powerful enough, with the top-spec Stinger able to clip 100km/h in 5.1secs before powering on to a top speed of 270km/h. The GT will also arrive with a mechanical limited-slip differential, electronically adjustable suspension and an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Kia’s Sorento SUV is already being evaluated by police departments in NSW, Victoria and Queensland, and it would like the all-new Stinger to be be next, with Kia telling CarsGuide “It’s definitely something we’d be interested in looking at.”

“We don't see a downside to the police wanting to look at this car, and our Sorento is already being evaluated by police departments in three states,” said Kia Motors Corporation's Australian PR boss, Kevin Hepworth.

“It’s too early for us to have serious conversations, but it’s definitely something we’d be interested in looking at.”

Kia’s rear-wheel drive sedan will arrive in Australia in an effort to fill the market gap left by the departing Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon. Whether it will also fill the vacancy in our police department’s road fleet remains to be seen, but it is understood Kia Australia would need to upgrade the vehicle’s brakes and parts of its cabin to comply with police standards.

Australia’s police forces are currently evaluating vehicles from several manufacturers as our Holden and Ford plants count-down to closure. Vehicle’s as far-ranging as the Ford Mustang, Chrysler 300, Volvo S60 Polestar and BMW 5 Series are all understood to be under consideration. But Kia will be hoping its cut-price Stinger GT, expected to arrive wearing a $50k price tag, is the affordable smokey that steals the deal.