Kia Stinger dodges axe: Brand confirms spiritual successor to Holden Commodore SS and Ford Falcon XR8 will live on

With doubts surrounding the Stinger large sedan’s future, Kia has finally confirmed what’s next for the low-volume flagship.

When asked at the EV6 mid-size SUV’s reveal if the new all-electric vehicle will eventually replace the Stinger or any other Kia model, the brand’s executives declined to comment on future product plans.

That said, Kia’s president and CEO, Ho Sung Song, did provide an impromptu update on the fate of the Stinger, revealing that it had dodged the axe – for now.

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“In the meantime, we continue to provide Stinger in the Australian market – in the next, coming years, too,” he said.

While that comment does stop short of confirming a second generation for the large sedan, it does confirm the first-generation model will continue to be sold locally for at least the next two years.

Considering the facelifted version of the first-generation Stinger only entered Australian showrooms last December, and the fact the model was revealed in January 2017, it makes sense that its lifecycle will stretch at least six years.

Either way, rumours out of native South Korea had suggested the Stinger was facing the axe globally due to its weak sales in the shrinking Large Sedan segments of key markets, including the United States.

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Of course, time will tell what happens in the medium to long term, but local enthusiasts will be able to buy the Stinger for now, with it a spiritual successor to the homegrown VF Holden Commodore and FG X Ford Falcon large sedans that were also rear-wheel-drive heroes.

As reported, the Stinger is powered by either a 182kW/353Nm 2.0-litre single-turbo four-cylinder engine or a 274kW/510Nm 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6, with both petrol units mated to an eight-speed torque-converter automatic transmission.

The Stinger is priced between $49,550 and $63,260 plus on-road costs, with all four of its variants becoming $740 to $2940 more expensive following the aforementioned facelift.