Is The Kia K5 Being Discontinued?

American automakers aren’t the only ones looking to drop sedans in favor of SUVs. While Ford and Chevrolet were two of the first to move away from the sedan body style, it looks like other automakers may follow suit. Kia officially announced plans to discontinue the Stinger after the 2023 model year and a new report indicates that the K5 could share the same fate.

Last May, Automotive News it was reported that Hyundai Motor Group, which includes Hyundai and Kia, was looking to trim down its lineup of sedans. The outlet claimed that Kia would drop the Stinger, which the South Korean brand announced formally in December 2022 with the release of the Tribute Edition. So, in hindsight, it looks like the outlet’s report was correct. The same report also stated that the Hyundai Sonata and Kia K5 would be discontinued, which means the K5’s time on sale could be coming to an end soon.

Unnamed sources told AutoNews that Hyundai was looking to retire the Sonata. With the Sonata and the K5 sharing the same platform, it would mean that Kia would also drop the K5 from its lineup. Citing Korean publication Chosun Ilbo, AutoNews reported that neither Hyundai nor Kia would introduce a next-gen model.

“It’s likely that the sedan will get one more refresh in 2025 but will not live past 2027 or 2028,” said Jesse Toprak, chief economist for Autonomy, when speaking about the Sonata. “I will be shocked if K5 doesn’t follow the same fate as Sonata. It is very likely you’re going to see the same trajectory of slow production declines over the next three to five years for the K5 until it is completely replaced by an EV.”

The first sign of Kia slowing down production of the K5 came last July when the automaker dropped the LX trim. At the same time, Kia also limited the availability of all-wheel drive for the sedan to just the GT-Line trim for the 2023 model year. Despite the introduction of the fully redesigned Honda Accord for 2023, Kia isn’t making any major changes to the K5 for 2024.

With the death of the Stinger and the expected death of the K5, Kia’s lineup would consist of small vehicles that include the Rio and Forte. The current Rio was introduced in 2018, while the Forte that’s on sale has been available since 2019.

At this point, we don’t know for sure if Kia will discontinue the K5 and we doubt Kia would answer any questions about its future. But we wouldn’t be surprised if the report turned out to be true. Last year, 13 of the 25 best-selling vehicles were SUVs. Only six of the vehicles that made the list were sedans and three were midsize sedans.

In the midsize segment, the K5 is competitively priced. The 2024 model will start at $26,515 (prices include destination), which is less than the Toyota Camry ($27,415), Nissan Altima ($26,585), Subaru Legacy ($25,985), and Honda Accord ($28,390), but more than the Hyundai Sonata ( $26,365). While the K5 has consistently been more affordable than the Camry and Accord, it hasn’t been able to keep up in sales. Last year, Kia sold 66,310 units of the K5, while Toyota sold 295,201 Camrys and Honda sold 154,612 Accords.

Automakers are pouring millions into developing electric powertrains and are looking toward bringing more profits in with pricier SUVs. With most funds going toward future EVs, brands don’t have money to invest into sedans that don’t sell well. Based on the report, we expect the K5 to stick around for another few years.

Pictured: 2023 Kia K5

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

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