KIA announced its upcoming KIA Stinger will hit 62 MPH in just 4.9 seconds.

It’s official ladies and gentleman, the 2018 KIA Stinger will be the quickest KIA the company has ever made. According to the KIA news center on their official press release they dropped earlier today (Mar. 31,2017) in preparation for the 2017 Seoul Motor Show KIA dropped a couple of important details on its newest sedan including the availability of a diesel engine option and the fact that their Stinger can hit 62 MPH in just 4.9 seconds. Take a look at some of the official press photos making their rounds straight from the Seoul Motor Show.

Up until this point the fastest KIA the South Korean company offered in the United States was their K900 luxury sedan. Stuffed with the optional 420 HP V8, that particular Asian luxury bruiser paired to an 8-speed automatic could hit 60 MPH in 5.5 seconds according to Motor Trend. But at more than two tons (4,643 pounds to be exact) the K900 wasn’t meant to be a canyon carver. It was more suitable for a leisurely but quick drive back home from, let’s say, an NBA game ala LeBron James (who was the spokesperson for the KIA K900 for a while.)

Additionally, KIA also took this opportunity to display the Stinger in a new rich yellow paint finish, in contrast to the red Stinger we’ve seen at auto shows. The front grille, air intakes and louvers on the hood also sported optional carbon fiber accents. It should be noted that KIA did showcase the Stinger concept in a similar yellow finish back in 2014.

As with all KIAs, this newest performance sedan will bring another value-added option to the list of fast four-door alternatives here in the states. We can assume that the MSRP for the Stinger will land in the $35,000 range which should undercut some more expensive options.

We think that even with all this performance, it still won’t be enough to sway the hard-lined Americans who purposely choose a domestic product but it will definitely sway a few on the fence between domestic and import brands and will definitely bump over those considering an Optima if they land in a KIA dealership in the first place.

KIA’s sales in America depend heavily on its sales of its popular Optima, Forte, Soul and Sorento crossovers. The Stinger will add some needed performance in an otherwise value heavy brand.

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