Electric Kia Stinger successor in development for 2026 – report

The Kia Stinger V6 sports sedan may get an indirect successor in the form of a high-performance, long-range electric car due in 2026, according to the latest overseas reports.

According to South Korean publication ETNews – citing unnamed industry sources – Kia is developing a new electric sedan for launch in late 2025 or early 2026, under the codename 'GT1'.

The report – which is yet to be verified – does not identify the new model as a Stinger replacement, nor does it say the vehicle will reprise the Stinger badge.

However ETNews says the Kia 'GT1' will be in the same category as today's Kia K8 sedan – which is half, to one size larger than the Kia Stinger – and its performance claims would be worthy of the Stinger's performance badge.

The South Korean website claims the GT1 (its final name is yet to be revealed) will be underpinned by the Hyundai group's next-generation electric-car architecture due in 2025, known as 'eM'.

Top-of-the-range models are due to be powered by dual motors – 200kW front and 250kW rear electric motors – good for a total of 450kW, more than a Porsche 911 Turbo, or two Volkswagen Golf R hot hatchbacks combined.

It would become the most powerful production Kia ever built – by today's standards – exceeding the 430kW/740Nm of the Kia EV6 GT electric car, which is capable of 0-100km/h in a claimed 3.5 seconds.

The GT1's rear electric motor would almost outmuscle a Kia Stinger GT, developing 250kW compared to the 274kW/510Nm 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 in the final batch of V6 Stingers.

ETNews claims Kia is also planning a less powerful version of the GT1 with dual 160kW motors, again with all-wheel drive. It is unclear from the Korean-to-English translation if a rear-wheel-drive model will be available.

Powering the high-output motors is said to be a 113.2kWh lithium-ion battery, which by today's standards would be the largest fitted to a passenger car in South Korea – ahead of a 107.8kWh pack in the Mercedes-Benz EQS limousine.

According to ETNews, this is estimated to deliver a targeted driving range of between 700 and 800 kilometres on a single charge.

It is in line with previous claims made by Hyundai, that vehicles on its new eM electric-car platform will be able to deliver up to 50 per cent more driving range than its current battery-powered models.

Hyundai's longest-range electric car (the Ioniq 6 sedan) today claims up to 614km of driving range in European lab testing – but in its least powerful single-motor guise with small alloy wheels and 'eco' tyres, rather than a sportier, dual-motor high-performance version.

ETNews reports the GT1 will benefit from the Hyundai group's new Integrated Modular Architecture system of standardising "all key parts of electric vehicles" – including electric motors and battery packs – between models to reduce cost.

"Although there is a difference in the certified [driving range] depending on the test method, considering the battery capacity and the level of technological improvement until mass production in two to three years, [the GT1] is expected to secure a mileage that overwhelms competing models," the publication claims.

The website alleges the Hyundai group has "finalised" the key specifications listed above for its Kia GT1 electric car, ahead of a planned start to production in late 2025 or early 2026 – pending any delays.

South Korean media reports speculate the Kia GT1 may be twinned with the next-generation electric Genesis G70 mid-size luxury sedan (codenamed RN2), and a new full-size GV90 electric SUV from Genesis (dubbed JG1).

Kia is yet to comment on the report, or confirm its validity. The company has previously teased a sleek sedan as a possible part of its electric-car plans, but has not confirmed an intention to build such a model.

The South Korean car giant appears to be embarking a second attempt at success in the large sports sedan category, after today's Kia Stinger was axed after one generation due to lower than expected sales globally – even though it has been a success in Australia.

The final examples of the current four-cylinder and V6 Kia Stinger are in Australia now, and all have been spoken for.