Artur Martins: "The Kia Stinger is a premium car at a mainstream price"

The Kia vice president reveals the secrets of the Stinger. The South Korean manufacturer expects to sell between 60,000 and 70,000 units a year of the new sports saloon.

The Kia Vice President of Marketing, Artur Martins, is one of the key figures behind the company’s successful current course. In an interview given during the official presentation of the Kia Stinger in Milan, Martins reveals some of the secrets behind this popular model.

The styling of the Kia Stinger is based on a prototype that was unveiled in 2009. Its development did not follow a specific design line; instead, its engineers enjoyed complete freedom. “It was born without restrictions. Our head of design, Peter Schreyer, has said that he simply asked for things and they were all granted, which is why it is a car that expresses freedom. With the Stinger we wanted to recover the essence of this type of sports saloon, an essence that has been lost a little, and we are proud to be able to offer something like this to all our customers,” says the Kia Vice President of Marketing.

The Kia Stinger was tuned at the legendary Nürburgring circuit, but it is a model that seeks a middle ground between sportiness and comfort, as Artur Martins assures: “The Stinger is not a racing car; it is a car that must combine sportiness and comfort very well, and our conclusion is that this has been achieved at the highest level.”

In principle, the new sports saloon from Kia has been designed to compete with premium rivals such as the Audi A5 or the BMW Gran Coupé, though at a more mainstream price. “It is the first time we have entered the premium segment. We want to launch quality cars, with luxury finishes, materials and equipment, but always at a reasonable price. Our aim is also to popularise this segment so that nobody has to settle for a lower category when they could have a Kia. On price, we will be below an Audi A5 depending on the engine chosen. That said, the identity of Kia is that of a mainstream brand, not a premium one,” declares the Kia Vice President of Marketing.

The Kia Stinger has several strong points, but above all else its design stands out, according to Martins: “The main selling point is the design. It is a car that wins you over, that attracts you, that catches your eye. I think the design will be its greatest strength. Secondly, interior comfort and roominess will be important values, because it is a very spacious and very comfortable car, well thought out for living inside; it is a car you like to look at from the outside and love to see from the inside.”

The Kia marketing director even ventured to forecast the sales volume the Kia Stinger could reach in the future. “In a normal year, we expect to sell between 60,000 and 70,000 units worldwide, with a very significant influence from American users, because in the United States it should account for more than fifty per cent of sales,” says Artur Martins.

Source: Newspress