Sad news! The current Kia Stinger is not long for this world. Thankfully, though, the Korean company has confirmed that a facelifted version will be along later this year.

“It’s coming pretty soon,” Kia’s design boss Karim Habib told TG. “We just wanted to strengthen a few things. If you think about the lighting – on a car that is a halo car for us – we want to make sure that we have the best technology when it comes to lighting. And, of course, it is the symbol of sportiness so what we’ve done in terms of design is try to amplify that.”

Essentially that sounds like we’ll get the standard facelift affair – new headlights and a few slight changes to the front and rear bumpers. But it’s the Stinger’s role as a halo product and its future after the facelift that we’re really interested in. With the ever-increasing trend towards SUVs and crossovers, will Kia drop the V6-engined coupe/sedan-like Stinger completely after just one and a half generations?

“I definitely hope that the spirit of the Stinger stays at the core of what Kia is as we change as a brand,” said Habib – previously Head of Design at both BMW and Infiniti.

“As the technology goes towards EVs and as the world and its appetite for these types of cars changes, the concept probably has to evolve as well.” Hmmm – that’s not so promising.

“But the sporty, affordable, beautiful sculpture – I really believe that’s something which needs to live on in the brand.” More promising. Could it be a four-door, electric coupe?

STORY Greg Potts