The brilliant but under-appreciated Kia Stinger was one of the last affordable rear-wheel-drive internal-combustion sedans. Alas, it was too pure for this world of consumers who think FWD and RWD are abbreviations found on a VCR remote. The gasoline Stinger was discontinued last year, but if you’re kicking yourself for the missed opp, fear not. A new report out of Korea says that the Stinger’s unofficial successor is in the works, and it’s electric.
The car, code-named GT1, will be built on Hyundai-Kia’s next-generation EV platform. It is scheduled to roll out of Kia’s Hwaseong Plant 3 in 2026 and has been tentatively named the Kia EV8. The information comes from a leaked production schedule that Korean Car Blog has translated into English and reported.
The EV8’s platform is called eM, which it will share with the large SUV Genesis GV90. Korean Car Blog also reports that the EV8 will use a 113.2 kWh battery pack, good for a range of approximately 435 to 500 miles. That’s more capacity than even a Lucid Air Grand Touring’s 112 kWh.
Dual motors on the top-spec will supply 335 horsepower to the front wheels and 268 to the rear, for a combined 603 horsepower. Entry trim levels will have a single 215-horse motor driving the rear wheels, while AWD models will have a second 215-horse motor driving the front wheels as well.
The first eM platform cars — the Kia EV8 and Genesis GV90 — are expected to roll out in 2026. While we will miss the Stinger name, the new moniker hints that pricing will start between the EV6 and EV9’s $42,600 and $54,900 respective base prices.
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