At the tail end of last year, Kia announced that it would be saying farewell to the gorgeous Stinger with a 1,000-unit Tribute Edition, and now it is saying its last goodbyes with a touching tribute video featuring the sports sedan's all-electric spiritual successor. The EV6 GT will henceforth be the face of Kia's performance models, but before it takes the baton, Kia is looking back on the achievements of one of its most important modern models that completely changed the brand's image. The Stinger GT was a passion project that made Kia cool, but if the plaudits garnered by the EV6 are anything to go by, the Kia GT line is in safe hands.

The video starts with a shot of the Stinger GT Tribute Edition's special treadplates before introducing the EV6 GT as if it were a friend, meeting the Stinger on the waterfront to look back on the past and compare achievements. The Stinger reminds viewers of its 368-horsepower 3.3-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine, while the EV6 GT draws attention to its dual-motor setup that produces 576 all-electric horses.

The Stinger seems jealous of that power output, so the discussion moves to accolades, of which both cars have many. Each GT model was the quickest Kia to 62 mph at the time of launch, but they have also garnered plenty of awards.

The Stinger was a 2018 European Car of the Year finalist, winner of the 2018 Automobile Writers' Association of Korea Car of the Year, winner of the 2018 Red Dot Award for Best of the Best Car Design, and winner of the 2018 UK Car of The Year Awards Performance category.

As impressive as those honors are, the EV6 isn't half bad, either. In 2022, the electric crossover won the same European and Korean awards that the Stinger did in 2018, as well as the Red Dot Awards for Best of the Best Car Design and Innovative Product. In addition, the EV6 took the 2022 What Car? Awards Car of the Year title, as well as that publication's UK Electric SUV of the Year. Finally, Kia's new GT mascot was a finalist in our Save The Planet awards category and snagged the 2023 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year award.

What looks like bickering and competition ultimately becomes a heartwarming goodbye as the EV6 enjoys a slow parade alongside the Stinger on track, with the former acknowledging the latter's contributions to the Kia brand and expressing a feeling of honor for sharing the stage with the Stinger.

The two end with synchronized donuts and drifting, essentially ramming home the point that Kia's GT range should be no less dull with the loss of the Stinger, as the EV6 GT is quite the riot to drive.

While we appreciate and respect the excellence of the EV6 GT, it's the Stinger GT that made us fall in love with the Kia brand more than ever before, and seeing such a svelte and sexy sedan depart this world to make way for an electric crossover brings a tear to our eye. Farewell, Stinger GT. You were better than most buyers realize.