Has Kia broken the Commodore curse? Korean brand succeeds where Australian-made Holden failed

The Kia Stinger looks destined to break the Commodore (and Ford Falcon) curse, with the Korean brand's performance halo set to live on - at least for now.

Even as the brand shifts its focus to its new EV6 halo, and the wave of electric vehicles that will follow, its executives assured CarsGuide that the comparatively old-school Stinger (the brand's answer to the Holden Commodore VF SSV) still has a future in Australia.

"I think we're lucky that we have the halo effect that the Stinger has given us," says Kia Australia's Chief Operating Officer, Damien Meredith.

"It gave us credentials that we've never had. And I think we're fortunate again because we can transfer those attributes directly across to EV6, and the EV6 gives us even more.

"So I believe that while the Stinger has gone absolutely fantastic for us, I think EV6 is going to give us more in regards to that halo effect."

If that sounds like the brand is backing away from the Stinger, they assured us that's not the case, promising the Stinger has a future in Australia.

Asked directly whether the vehicle will be replaced with a new Stinger, rather than be killed off, Kia's product planning chief Roland Rivero answered:

"As far as we're concerned, it's business as usual."

Their response contradicts unconfirmed reports from last year that the updated 2022 Stinger will be the last of its kind, with the brand reported to be shelving its performance halo in favour of electrification.

The Kia Stinger arrived in Australia towards the end of 2017 as an MY18 model, at around the time Holden shuttered its domestic factory (Ford had since closed theirs) with falling demand for models like the Commodore and Falcon raised as one of the causes.

And yet Kia's (mostly) rear-drive performance hero (which competes in the same large sedan category as the Commodore) has managed to carve its own niche in Australia, with 1407 vehicles sold here last year, and 1778 sold in 2020.