Kia EV8 to be the electric successor to the Stinger
According to information from the Korean Car Blog, the saloon will be the first Kia model based on the Hyundai Group’s new eM electric platform. According to an earlier report, the eM will first be introduced with the Genesis GV90 in 2025.
More on the eM in a moment, but first on the EV8: the Stinger successor developed under the codename ‘GT1’ is to offer up to 450 kW of power and use a battery with 113.2 kWh capacity. This should result in a range of 700 to 800 kilometres, although the test cycle is not mentioned. The 450 kW output is to be made up of 200 kW on the front axle and 250 kW on the rear axle. Production is scheduled to start in 2026 at the Kia plant in Hwaseong. These are the known key data reported by the Korean Car Blog. The source for this is allegedly the ‘Kia Union New Car Production Schedule’ as a kind of ramp-up plan for upcoming models.
The screenshot – the sections relating to other models have been made illegible, so we can expect further articles from the portal on these models – clearly refers to a “2026 Large EV sedan (GT) – EV8” from Hwaseong Plant 3. Elsewhere it says: “GT is the Stinger/K8 replacement, to be called EV8 – SOP in 2026”. SOP refers to the start of production.
Later in the text, it is stated that the 450 kW model should only be the top version. Versions with a 160 kW rear-wheel drive (as in the current E-GMP models) and with a 320 kW all-wheel drive are also planned. It is not known whether these variants will also be offered with a smaller battery. The 113.2 kWh battery would be the largest battery in a Kia model – so far, the 99.8 kWh of the Kia EV9 is the maximum.
Regarding the platform itself, the eM is one of two second-generation electric platforms in the Hyundai Group. When Hyundai presented its platform strategy last summer, it was announced that the current Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) would be replaced by the Integrated Modular Architecture (IMA) towards the middle of the decade. This is an architecture that standardises not only the chassis, but also the motors and the battery system with cell-to-pack technology using modules. This should significantly increase economies of scale and reduce complexity (and therefore development costs).
Two vehicle platforms are to be derived on the basis of the IMA architecture: The eM for electric cars “in all segments” and the eS for special vehicles (Purpose-Built-Vehicles, PBV for short). Both platforms will utilise IMA’s motor and battery construction kits. The Genesis GV90 will be the first user of the eM, followed by an electric sedan called the GV80, the Kia EV8 and later also vehicles under the Hyundai brand.
The EV8’s predecessor, the Stinger, was a 4.83 metre-long sedan (or sometimes referred to as a four-door coupé), with which Kia entered the upper mid-size segment in 2017. The model, which was also partly powered by a 272 kW V6 petrol engine, had helped to position the brand higher at the time – it was the first Kia to be offered at prices of more than 60,000 euros, depending on the engine.
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