Set to go into production in 2026, the successor to the Kia Stinger, codenamed GT1, will be based on the brand’s next-generation EV platform
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The Hyundai and Kia Group continue to unveil new models based on their highly successful e-GMP platform. However, the automaker’s brands are already planning their next-generation vehicles, as indicated by an allegedly leaked union production schedule.
For Kia, that will start with a high-performance successor to the Stinger, code-named GT1, and referred to as the EV8, though the name has not been confirmed yet.
The sports sedan is expected to be based on the group’s next-generation EV architecture. Around mid-2023, Hyundai previewed the platform under the name Integrated Modular Platform (IMA), but in these documents, it is simply referred to as the eM platform. It’s anticipated to debut with the new Genesis GV90 in 2025, following which Hyundai and Kia will release their own models based on the architecture.
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Credit: Josh Byrnes for Carscoops
Several specifications relating to platform and, specifically, Kia’s replacement for the Stinger were revealed thanks to the reportedly leaked document found by the Korean Car Blog. It indicates that the car will have a two-motor powertrain that makes up to 603 hp (450 kW/612 PS).
That would make the most potent iteration of the GT1 / EV8 more powerful than the EV6 GT, which generates 577 horsepower (430 kW/585 PS). Meanwhile, other variants of the GT1 are expected to produce between 215 horsepower (160 kW/218 PS) and 429 horsepower (320 kW/435 PS).
Read: Kia’s 11-Member EV Range To Include Sedans, SUVs, Hatchbacks And Shuttles
These motors will be fed with electricity by a massive 113.2 kWh battery pack. To put that into perspective, the EV9’s battery pack is only 99.8 kWh in size. According to the leaked Kia document, this setup is expected to enable the GT1 to achieve a range between 435 and 497 miles (700-800 km) per charge. This range compares quite favorably even to the Mercedes EQS, which, with its 107.8 kWh battery pack, can travel up to 466 miles (750 km) per charge on the WLTP test cycle.
Production of the GT1 is slated to commence in 2026 at Kia’s Hwaseong Plant 3. This launch will be part of a broader product blitz from the Hyundai Group, beginning with the Genesis GV90 in 2025, and encompassing new vehicles from both the Kia and Hyundai brands.
Note: This story contains speculative renderings that were neither created nor endorsed by Kia.
