The Kia Stinger Thread

Albert Biermann on why Hyundai and Kia are performance-car-ready

Executive vice president for vehicle testing and high performance development. It’s not a bad job title, is it?

At Hyundai Motor Group, which incorporates both Hyundai and Kia, it’s a title now worn by Albert Biermann. Has been for a couple of years, in fact. Because, at 57, if somebody makes you an offer, and you’ve been at your old place for 32 years, what else are you going to do? Even if the old place was BMW, and eventually you were basically in charge of the revered M division. Biermann figured he had made his mark, achieved what he’d wanted to and figured, well... why the hell not?

So here we are, a couple of years later, and the Korean conglomerate’s Kia Stinger and Hyundai i30 N are about to go on sale. Fruits of the labour, if you like.

We’ve seen Biermann twice this year. In April, while he was on a trip to the UK to suss out our roads and how vehicles dynamically handle them – more on which later – and then, backstage at the Frankfurt motor show.

Biermann was on good form on both occasions, as you might expect given the products he’s putting out. Both i30 N, which is Hyundai’s first proper hot hatch, and Stinger GT, the Kia that will be aiming for the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupé, have been warmly received. Things are good.

“Everything is finished,” he says of the Stinger GT. “I mean, we have no mass production cars out yet, but they’re more or less on the way from Korea to Europe.” Those who have driven this new grand tourer, a rear-wheel-drive executive hatchback- cum-coupé, including Autocar’s own testers, have warmed to it.

“People are surprised a Kia can drive like this,” says Biermann. “And at this moment, we have only put the 3.3-litre V6 out, and we’re not focusing on the 2.0-litre petrol or the diesel [versions]. But I’m also quite optimistic about those. Of course some power is missing, but the sporty character is there.”

Which is all very well, Albert, if the Stinger is a flagship vehicle. But what of the cars beyond that? “We try,” Biermann says. “If you drive the Stonic now, you might find the drive not exactly what you expected from a little B-segment SUV.

“It’s also maybe a little bit more nimble, a bit more fun to drive than you would have expected two years ago. But it’s not like it’s the ultimate fun machine - it has to serve for city driving and so on.”

He also says Kia has “put a lot of effort into the next Cee’d, so you can expect a good step up for driving fun, precision, agility and so on compared with the previous Cee’d; and that’s a car that gets a little more attention and focus in that area. But, as you know, we make tons of cars and we cannot give the full [dynamic attention] to all of them.

“The philosophy for the Stinger was different, because we were challenging on a premium OEM level, and I think the effort we put into the car was also a little bit focused on that challenge, so we put more effort into that car than others.”

Hyundai has had its Genesis saloons before – and will again – but the Stinger is the first time that Kia has attempted to mix it with the European big boys. Has public perception shifted at all? “I can’t tell yet, but I’m sure it will happen,” Biermann says. “The Stinger will change the expectation of Kia cars in general, because people will think we can perform at a higher level.” He knows, though, that it will be a long haul to get a Kia into the same conversation as an Audi, BMW or Mercedes-Benz.

As you would expect from someone who spent so long at M division, it’s the dynamics that get Biermann’s attention. Hence the visit to the UK. “That event clearly gave us more focus on attribute tuning. Our team went to the UK again [in late August], so we definitely take more care of UK’s driving requirements,” he tells us.

Britain’s uniquely crappy roads are one of the reasons why the Kias and Hyundais of today and tomorrow will be better to drive than the current ones.

“The UK adds more challenge,” Biermann says. “You have bad roads, the surfaces are poor and you have more crown; and the narrowness of the roads where everybody has to go between hedges. And narrow city roads too. You don’t find that so much in Germany, where so far we have focused our European tuning.”

Coming to the UK means “we are clearly focused on more agility, steering response and steering precision for the future,” he says. “And also to adjust a little bit more for the harsh roads.”

Not all companies do that, you know; pay attention to the little details like that, to get things fundamentally right. It’s new for Kia too. “We have some new experiences,” says Biermann. “But it’s very fruitful because, all of a sudden, our car is competing on a premium European car level. And they’re enjoying it, you know.”

So are we, Albert, so are we.

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/...why-hyundai-and-kia-are-performance-car-ready
 
Kia Stinger GT-S vs BMW 440i and Jaguar XE S - can it handle the heat?

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/...s-bmw-440i-and-jaguar-xe-s-can-it-handle-heat

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2018 European Car Of The Year: 7 Finalists Revealed

The seven finalists in the running for the 2018 European Car of the Year award have been announced.

The shortlist was whittled down to just seven contenders by the 60-strong jury.

The finalists are, in alphabetical order, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, Audi A8, BMW 5 Series, Citroën C3 Aircross, Kia Stinger, Seat Ibiza and Volvo XC40.

Of the seven, just two (the Stelvio and 5 Series) are currently offered in South Africa, with the new Audi A8 and Volvo XC40 confirmed for local introductions in the future. The Kia Stinger seems likely to be launched in South Africa at some point, too, although the local arm of the Korean brand has yet to officially confirm its plans. Citroën and Seat, of course, do not currently offer vehicles in SA.

The overall winner will be revealed in the run-up to the 2018 Geneva Motor Show in March.

In 2017, the Peugeot 3008 took top honours, while the Opel Astra triumphed in 2016, the Volkswagen Passat in 2015, the Peugeot 308 in 2014 and the Volkswagen Golf in 2013.

http://www.carmag.co.za/news_post/2018-european-car-of-the-year-7-finalists-revealed/
 
Would be awesome to have this in SA. I really doubt we'll see it though. There just isn't a really a market for this type of car now with everyone buying SUVs. I don't see Kia taking a risk on the SA market with a car they know won't sell that well.
 
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