Key Takeaways
Kia’s electric successor to the Stinger has reportedly been scrapped.
Was rumored to arrive in 2026 with up to 603 horsepower from its electric drivetrain.
It may be revived at a later date, once demand for electric vehicles returns.
The beloved Kia Stinger may have gone to the great scrapheap in the sky, but several reports suggested the sports sedan would return as the all-electric EV8. Now, The Korean Car Blog claims that the GT1 project, as it was known internally, has been scrapped. The publication claims to have seen internal manufacturing documents for Kia manufacturing facilities, which show the GT1/EV8 is no longer in the production queue.
The Stinger’s electric successor was expected to debut with a 113.2 kWh battery pack and power outputs of up to 603 hp. Equipped with all-wheel drive, the Kia’s front motor was expected to offer 268 hp, with the rear-axle-mounted motor producing 335 horses. This would have made it significantly more potent than the outgoing model, which, in twin-turbo V6 guise, developed 368 hp and 376 lb-ft of torque.
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Long Distance Range, Sports Car Power
The large battery pack (the Kia EV6 GT has a 77.4 kWh battery, for example) would have provided the GT1 with an impressive range figure, allowing the vehicle to be used as a continent-crossing electric GT car, a la Lucid’s Air Grand Touring model. Estimates pegged the range around 435-497 miles, in the same area as the Mercedes EQS, Tesla Model S, and the Lucid Air.
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The sports sedan’s days may soon be numbered.
Aside from the range-topping 603 hp variant, Kia reportedly had plans to offer a base model with a single rear-mounted electric motor (215 hp) and a mid-spec dual-motor version with a total of 429 hp. So, why would Kia decide to press pause on such a desirable car? There are several potential reasons. For one, the EV6 GT has taken over from the Stinger as the brand’s top performance vehicle; Kia has confirmed the EV6 GT is the effective Stinger replacement.
Why Would Kia Cancel The EV8/GT1?
The more likely reason is that a high-end, high-performance sedan didn’t align with the automaker’s new strategy. Globally, demand for electric vehicles is declining due to high purchasing costs and several other reasons. As a result, several large automakers, including Kia, have decided to rethink their EV ambitions.
CEO Ho Sung Song recently announced Kia would expand its offerings from six hybrids in 2024 to eight by 2024, with an electrified variant of nearly every car or SUV in its lineup. However, the Korean marque still has plans to forge ahead with several new all-electric vehicles. Still, any new BEVs will likely be SUVs, crossovers, or more affordable sedans – not high-end, niche-performance GTs. Of course, there’s a possibility the GT1 project has been shelved in the meantime and will arrive sometime after its planned 2026 debut. Manufacturers tend not to comment on speculation, but CarBuzz has reached out to Kia USA for any additional information. We will update the article accordingly once we receive a reply.
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