An electric successor to the sporty Kia Stinger may launch in 2026 under the name EV8, according to source material revealed via Korean Car Blog.
A proper enthusiast's car sporting a rear-wheel-drive platform and sleek hatchback styling, the Stinger emerged in the 2018 model year. Kia discontinued it after the 2023 model year. But a similar model with an electric powertrain now appears to have been given the green light.
Korean Car Blog cites Kia's Union New Car Production Schedule, which lists this model as being allocated to the automaker's Hwaseong Plant 3 in South Korea. The plan also reportedly shows that the EV8 will be based on a successor to the current Hyundai/Kia/Genesis E-GMP platform called eM, and lists some preliminary specifications.
2023 Kia Stinger
The EV8 is reportedly slated to get a 113.2-kwh battery pack enabling 435 to 497 miles of range (likely as measured with Korean testing protocols). Range-topping models will get a 612-hp dual-motor all-wheel-drive powertrain, with a 435-hp all-wheel-drive model and a single-motor rear-wheel-drive model tuned for 218 hp below it.
This isn't the first report of the project. A series of reports through last summer and fall, originally confirming the project name of GT1 (that name is also referenced in the Korean Car Blog report), suggested that it might be a revival of the Stinger's mission in all but the name itself.
Kia EV4 concept
Kia also has the racy-looking EV4 concept, which is due to be smaller and more affordable but may provide hints of the Stinger-replacing EV8's design.
Kia's design boss said back in 2020 that the Stinger might switch to electric power. While a short time later it seemed that he'd been referring to the very quick EV6 GT, perhaps he was pointing toward a true successor like this all along.
