ACCELERATING EXCITEMENT

Lauded as the most anticipated release of 2017, Kia has fuelled the Stinger fire with prices for the V6 models to start from less than $50,000.

Arriving in showrooms by October, the entry-level Stinger S powered by a 3.3-litre bi-turbo V6 will start from $48,990 plus on-roads, a mid-spec Si is $55,990, while the range-topping GT will have a retail price of $59,990.

The V6 will have 272kW of power and 510Nm of torque...capable of a launch control assisted 4.9 second 0-100km/h sprint and a low 13 second standing quarter.

Equipment and specification details are yet to be released, but some models will get the latest safety tech including driver attention alert to highlight drowsy behaviour, autonomous emergency braking and radar cruise control, lane keep assist, rear cross traffic alert and blind spot detection.

Basic equipment will include a colour screen, full bluetooth connectivity, Apple CarPlay and Android Audo smartphone mirroring.

Pricing for the 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder version is yet to be announced — expect models to start from about $40,000.

The Stinger has already been labelled a game-changer for the brand. For the first time, customers have been placing deposits on a Kia before knowing pricing or driving the car.

“It was critical for us to bring this car to as wide an audience as possible … something I believe we have achieved with the pricing we have been able to settle on,” Kia Motors Australia chief operating officer Damien Meredith said.

“From the outset it was a goal to get a bi-turbo V6 into the market under $50,000. We have done that with room to spare.”

Mr Meredith said the decision to announce 3.3-litre pricing ahead of the Stinger’s October arrival was to provide confidence to the substantial number of buyers who have shown faith in putting down a deposit without knowing a final price.

First revealed at the Detroit motor show earlier this year, the Stinger captivated the automotive world. The man who help pen the design is Peter Schreyer, the designer who cut his teeth at Audi nearly four decades ago, and has almost single handedly changed the global landscape for Kia.

Ensuring it’s not a sheep in wolf’s clothing is Albert Biermann, the former BMW M Division VP and now head of Kia’s high performance development. With the final Ford Falcons currently being sold, and Holden about to finish local manufacturing of the Commodore, Kia is eyeing a gap in the rear-wheel drive large sedan market.

The Stinger is 116mm smaller in length than a standard Commodore (124mm compared to a Falcon), 24mm narrower in width (1mm larger than a Falcon), sits 71mm lower (53mm lower than a Falcon) but the wheel base is just 9mm shorter.

Stinger will become the new halo car for Kia.