Kia looks ready to shake up the performance EV scene again. Fresh teaser images shared on social media point to a swoopy, long-wheelbase electric saloon—one that could pick up where the dearly departed Stinger left off. And if the early visuals are anything to go by, this won’t be just another addition to the brand’s growing EV lineup. It’s shaping up to be a statement car.
At first glance, the proportions tell the story. The nose stretches forward with a cab-forward stance, the roofline flows in a clean arc, and the whole silhouette has a subtle, wind-tunnel-sculpted roundness not seen on Kia’s sharper-edged EVs. The bubble-like roof is particularly striking, hinting at a focus on aerodynamics as much as interior space.
Look closely through the glass and things get even more interesting. Instead of a conventional wheel, the car appears to be equipped with a steering yoke—a strong sign that Kia might use this model to debut steer-by-wire tech. It also ditches traditional side mirrors completely, swapping them for slim camera pods integrated into the rear edges of the daytime running lights, a placement that emphasizes the minimalist exterior while sharpening visibility.
Kia hasn’t confirmed a reveal date or even a name yet. But there are hints. Brand president Ho-sung Song previously acknowledged that a performance-oriented EV positioned like the Stinger GT was under internal study, with the goal of pushing the public’s perception of what Kia can be. A sleek electric flagship would certainly help.
If the brand sticks to its current naming strategy, this new model could land as the EV7 or EV8—slotting squarely between the EV6 crossover and the EV9 SUV. And the real question is this: will it aim to dethrone the EV6 GT as Kia’s speed king? That 641-hp dual-motor beast already delivers ferocious acceleration and even simulates combustion-style power delivery through a multi-speed gearbox for extra engagement.
A new halo saloon would need to top that, both in performance and presence. Judging from these early glimpses, Kia seems more than ready to take the challenge.
If you really want the truth about a car brand, don’t ask the marketing department. Don’t ask the influencers. And definitely don’t ask the guy in the pub who once drove a diesel Passat “that pulled like a train.”
Ask the people who live and die by the product: the franchised dealers.
This year, Britain’s retail networks have spoken—loudly, candidly, and sometimes with a tone that suggests they’d rather be anywhere else. Their collective verdict paints a surprisingly dramatic picture of who’s thriving, who’s stumbling, and who might need to start thinking about pulling the eject handle.
The Big Winners: Lexus Leads, Kia Surges, BYD Impresses
According to the dealer rankings, Lexus, Kia, BYD, Omoda, Suzuki, and BMW top the leaderboard in that exact order. It’s a group that blends dependable luxury (Lexus), relentlessly consistent value (Kia), and China’s fast-moving electric juggernaut (BYD) with newer disruptors like Omoda.
These are the brands whose dealers sleep easier at night. They like the product. They like the margins. They like the customers walking through the door. And, crucially, they like the support they get from HQ.
The Basement Dwellers: DS Hits Rock Bottom
At the sharp end of misery, the worst-performing brands are Alfa Romeo, Fiat, SEAT, Abarth, Citroën, and at the absolute bottom—DS.
Dealer grumbling here covers everything from profit margins to warranties to product perception. The French premium experiment seems to be running out of goodwill. One could imagine Stellantis executives staring at these results and wondering how much longer DS can cling to the UK market.
Margin Madness: Kia, Mercedes, and Toyota Score; Land Rover Stumbles
Profit margins are the lifeblood of a dealer’s survival. According to the survey:
Best new-vehicle margins: Kia, Mercedes, Toyota
Worst: Audi, Ford, and dead-last Land Rover
Yes, you read that right—Audi dealers, purveyors of high-priced premium metal, say their profits are among the weakest in the country. That’s like a Michelin-star chef complaining the kitchen ran out of salt.
Something’s not adding up behind the four rings.
Product Value: Omoda and Dacia Thrill, Audi and DS Deflate
“Value” is often code for “Customers leave happy and we don’t have to beg them to buy.” Dealers claim:
Most satisfied with product value: Omoda, Kia, Dacia
Least satisfied: DS, SEAT, Audi
Again, Audi finds itself on the wrong side of dealer sentiment. The brand moves high volumes and commands premium prices, yet retailers insist the value proposition isn’t landing. Whether that’s pricing, equipment, or perceived quality, the frontline feedback is unambiguous.
EV Satisfaction: BYD, Kia, Renault Shine; Nissan Tanks
This may be the most startling result of all.
Strongest approval for EV lineup: BYD, Kia, Renault
Weakest: SEAT, Nissan, Mazda
Nissan’s inclusion here is perplexing. This is the brand that practically invented the mainstream EV with the Leaf, pioneered affordable electrification, and is gearing up for a new British-built Leaf and Juke. And yet its retailers sound more apprehensive than enthusiastic.
BYD, meanwhile, earns praise not only for its EVs but also for the frequency of its new model introductions. In dealer-speak, that’s code for “We always have something fresh to sell.”
Support Matters: Lexus Dominates, Citroën Falters
Dealers say Lexus is unbeatable in tech support and parts availability—a reputation the brand has quietly cultivated for decades. At the other end, Citroën sits last, a position no network wants to see next to its name.
Group Patterns: VW Group Chaos, Stellantis Struggles
There’s a pattern emerging that’s difficult to ignore:
VW and Skoda: Doing well
Audi, Cupra, SEAT: Lagging badly
This internal inconsistency mirrors the chaos of the wider Stellantis empire, where:
Jeep, Peugeot, Vauxhall dealers: Generally content
Fiat, Citroën, DS, Abarth: Deeply unhappy
For DS and Abarth in particular, the writing on the wall is getting hard to miss. The UK market may simply not be buying the dream.
So What Does This Mean for Buyers?
Behind every score is a signal: how easy a brand is to own, how well-supported its cars are, and how stable the buying experience will be over time.
If you want predictable satisfaction and a well-oiled dealership experience, Lexus, Kia, and BYD look like the safest bets.
If you prefer to avoid frustration, shrinking dealer faith, or slow support networks… well, the bottom of the list makes its own argument.
A San Antonio tech turns a “bad starter” scare into a lesson on why basic diagnostics still matter.
In an era when TikTok often functions as a rolling Cars & Coffee of half-truths and hot takes, one San Antonio mechanic is winning viewers for doing something radical: telling the truth.
Jeff—known online as @jeff_the_mechanic—recently posted a now-viral clip about a woman’s 2016 Kia that was supposedly suffering from a “clicking sound.” Another shop had already pointed to the starter as the culprit, a diagnosis that usually means parts shopping, knuckle-busting labor, and a not-insignificant dent in the checking account.
“This is why it’s important to get a mechanic to check out your vehicle before you go and buy parts,” he says in the clip, which has already racked up more than 34,800 views. It’s the kind of common-sense advice that shouldn’t feel revelatory—but here we are.
The Kia Mystery That… Wasn’t
The customer sent Jeff a video of the clicking. And to be fair, the sound could have been a bad starter. Or a dying battery. Or some sad cocktail of weak voltage and bad connections—the kind of thing that keeps roadside technicians employed.
Jeff showed up at her house, meter in hand. The verdict arrived almost immediately: the battery was low. A quick jump, a twist of the key, and the Kia fired right up. No drama, no major surgery.
“It was just a bad battery, that’s it,” he says. Starter: innocent. Wallet: spared.
The AutoZone Angle
Jeff laid out her options. He could swap the battery himself—parts and labor included—or she could head to AutoZone for a potentially cheaper replacement with free on-site installation. Many parts stores offer the service, though it’s not guaranteed if the weather is nasty, the battery is buried under half the engine bay, or the staff is slammed.
Still, a free install is a free install, and the stores will typically test the new battery afterward to confirm it’s fit for duty. Jeff’s point wasn’t about where to buy the part—it was that checking the basics first is the difference between spending $140 and spending $600.
Internet Applause From All Corners
If the comments section is any indication, social media has crowned Jeff the Patron Saint of Honest Wrenching.
“Thank you for being honest,” one woman wrote. “As a single woman, I have a fear of being taken advantage of because I know nothing about cars.”
Another added: “We need a lot of honest mechanics like you.”
A fellow tech chimed in with professional approval: “From one mechanic to another, great job. That’s why God bless us.”
Others just wanted to hire him immediately.
“I need my car checked.” “How much do you charge for a diagnostic?” “Are you good with trucks? I have an ’04 Ram.” “What about a check engine on a 2011 Expedition?”
That’s the thing about honesty in the garage—it scales.
In the end, the Kia wasn’t special. The diagnosis was. Sometimes the most heroic thing a mechanic can do is tell a customer they don’t need an expensive repair.
