Kia's top engineer is open to a sharper performance car above its GT models. In an interview with Autocar at the Namyang research center in South Korea, Hyundai Motor Group R&D chief Manfred Harrer was asked about adding another level, a "GT R" tier or something like it.
"I like the idea," Harrer said. "You see a lot of car makers going that way, so why not? But I'm more [minded] to first talk about a dedicated model showing what GT stands for."
Harrer didn't name a car. Autocar wondered whether that dedicated model could be a return of the Stinger GT with an electric powertrain, and said it would be foolish to rule it out. Harrer came to Korea from Porsche and BMW and holds a PhD on steering feel from the University of Bath. Kia's GT badge has grown fast. Autocar counts 10 standalone GT models in a little over a decade, starting with the 2013 Proceed GT. Today's GT cars in Europe are all electric and all-wheel drive. Autocar lists the EV6 GT at 641 bhp, the EV9 GT at 502 bhp, the EV5 GT at 302 bhp, and the EV3 and EV4 GTs at 286 bhp. Every one now gets Kia's Virtual Gear Shift, which Harrer called "an amplifier, not a substitute" for the driving experience.
The Stinger is the car people remember. Autocar calls it Kia's first and so far only purely rear-drive GT product. Kia ended it with the 2023 Stinger Tribute Edition, capped at 1,000 cars worldwide with 440 for the US, built on the GT2 with a 368-hp, 3.3-liter turbocharged V6. We covered what happened to the Stinger in more detail.
Carscoops framed the comments around the Nissan GT-R, arguing a Kia halo car could fill the gap it left. Nissan built the last R35 GT-R in August 2025 after an 18-year run and about 48,000 cars, Top Gear reported. Harrer never mentioned the GT-R, though, and Kia hasn't announced a new halo car.
Would you rather see an electric Stinger or a Kia GT-R fighter? Vote on WhipJury.
Sources:
Harrer's comments and background, the GT lineup, outputs, and the Stinger question: Autocar
The Stinger Tribute Edition: Kia
The GT-R framing: Carscoops
The last R35 GT-R: Top Gear
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Alexander-93, Elise240SX, and Tokumeigakarinoaoshima (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Cam Walsh has been obsessing over cars since before he could drive one. Based out of Atlanta, Cam covers automotive design, car culture, and the eternal debate over which whips actually look the part.
