Will Hyundai's Upcoming Supercar Use DNA From the Kia Stinger?

TopSpeed

By Kirby Garlitos

Published Jan 11, 2018

Don't sleep on the possibility given the two brand's close ties

Hyundai has confirmed plans to build its first-ever supercar. Now that we know what the Korean automaker is planning, the time for speculation begins. There are a lot of different directions we can go to, but we’re focusing on Hyundai’s sister company, Kia, and the latter’s own — and new — performance car: the Kia Stinger GT. Knowing what we know about the Stinger GT and Kia’s admission that the sports sedan is capable of so much more, is it possible that Hyundai could tap into the Stinger’s DNA as it develops its own supercar?

It’s been a year since the Kia Stinger GT first made our hearts flutter. The sleek and sexy 365-horsepower machine debuted at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show, becoming one of the most talked-about cars of the past year. Part of the endless string of narratives surrounding the Stinger GT was the possibility of a more potent version coming in the next few years. Some have even christened it the Stinger “GT-R,” a reference to Nissan’s mighty Godzilla that resides just across the Korea Strait in Japan.

Albert Biermann, the head of Kia’s high-performance division, didn’t exactly shoot down those rumors, but he did say that we shouldn’t expect to see a hardcore Stinger GT anytime soon. “The has more potential no doubt, but at this point, there is no plan to do more,” Biermann told Motoring Australia last June.

Is it possible then that Hyundai steps into the picture, looks at the Stinger GT’s DNA, and borrows some of it for the development of its own supercar?

The thought is tantalizing, but I think it’s too much of a reach to expect something like that to happen. It’s hard for me to see a scenario wherein Hyundai doesn’t work on its first-ever supercar by itself. Sure, it could borrow bits and pieces from Kia’s own development, but “borrowing” specific elements from the Stinger GT and adopting it into its supercar development feels like a move to cut corners and costs.

If Hyundai wants to make a big impression with its first supercar, it needs to be all-in on the development of the car. No stones should be left unturned, and no cost should be deemed too expensive. A more realistic argument also can be made of the status of the Stinger GT and Hyundai’s planned supercar. Unless the latter has a different interpretation of “supercar,” we expect it to enter a higher segment than Kia’s prized sports sedan. There’s a reason why we got excited about the thought of seeing a two-seater hybrid supercar to come out of Hyundai. It’s never been done before, and the potential to excite is there.

Hyundai shouldn’t waste that potential by giving us elements we’ve already seen from Kia. Make it new and make it exciting!