Expect Kia to not adopt Hyundai’s N performance lineup.
The Stinger marked a new era in the Kia brand. It was the first South Korean manufacturer to produce a competitive performance car in the GT trim. With more Kia cars getting overhauled, starting with the Forte sedan, a future that is more performance-oriented could be in sight. You shouldn’t expect anything comparable to Hyundai’s N brand.
Albert Biermann, the development boss, stated that Kia isn’t trying to chase Hyundai in the performance segment. The top-of-the-range Kia GT spec cars won’t be as hardcore track toys as the Stinger’s N subrange.
Biermann said that Kia is not making the decision to buy high-performance cars. “We did it with Hyundai N, but there is a clear decision not with Kia. GT must be a reasonable package.”
Biermann continued, “The Ceed GT now, once you go high-performance you need to work on a race track. Then the costs go up, and the business case becomes very difficult.” It is difficult to move on to the next step.
Don’t worry though, Kia will still offer go-fast versions for its existing models. The new Forte will also get the Stinger and a more aggressive GT trim. The sporty model was already captured by our spy photographers. It should have many similarities to its sibling, the Hyundai Elantra Sports.
We will soon see the Kia Forte GT live. The sporty sedan will debut in the second half of the year. It will debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show, November.