[7] Design work was led by Peter Schreyer[9] and Gregory Guillaume (Kia's Chief Designer[10]) at Kia's European studio in Frankfurt and engineered by former BMW M Vice President of Engineering Albert Biermann, the car was unveiled at the 2017 North American International Auto Show.

[12][7][13] The Stinger uses a shortened version of the Hyundai Genesis' front-engine, rear-wheel-drive platform with additional steel reinforcement and is offered with a choice of two engines: a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that produces 188 kW (255 PS; 252 hp); and a 3,342 cc (3.3 L; 203.9 cu in) twin-turbo V6 engine that generates 272 kW (370 PS; 365 hp) at 6,000 rpm and 510 N⋅m (376 lbf⋅ft) of torque from 1,300-4,500 rpm for the AWD variant.

[7] For the European and Korean markets, the Stinger is offered with a base 2.2-liter CRDi diesel I4 that produces 149 kW (202 PS; 199 hp).

The average lateral acceleration recorded in track testing was 0.85 g.[15][16] In August 2020, Kia unveiled a refreshed Stinger that went on sale in South Korea on the third quarter of 2020 and worldwide by the end of year.

Styling updates include revised headlights and tail lights, a new 10.25-inch infotainment screen and an additional wheel design.

[22] The Stinger GT was featured in series 2 episode 3 of The Grand Tour, where co-presenter James May raced it against two longboard riders on a mountain road in Majorca, with the car going uphill and the skateboarders going downhill.

[24] The second features Aerosmith lead vocalist Steven Tyler driving the car on an oval track in reverse until he becomes 40 years younger.