Kia caught our attention late last month when it introduced the Stinger at the 2017 Seoul Motor Show with a new 'E' badge. Now, the company is ready to talk about what it actually means. Reserved for the brand’s domestic market, the new logo signals Kia’s newly founded premium line making its debut on a range-topping version of the sexy fastback. It will be implemented on more and more products in the years to come, including the next-gen K900 flagship and then gradually on other rear-wheel-drive models of the range.

Kia E Emblem
2018 Kia Stinger GT

With these new E-badged cars, “we aim to deliver an unrivalled premium that only Kia Motors can achieve”, said Kim Chang-sik, executive sales vice president in South Korea. Just to be clear, this will not be a new sub brand as Hyundai has done with Genesis. Instead, the E badge will replace all of the Kia logos on the top-spec trim version of a car.

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For the moment there aren’t any plans to introduce this strategy outside of the company’s home turf, but even so the 'E' badge comes to highlight Kia’s decision to go upmarket and move away from its image of a value brand.

As for the logo itself, the E’s upper and lower lines depict the car’s wheels, while the line in the middle symbolises the longitudinally mounted engine powering the Stinger. Kia goes on to specify the E also represents exclusivity, engineering, and excellence.

2019 Kia K900 spy photo
2019 Kia K900 spy photo

Although we won’t be seeing the E logo on Kias sold internationally, the aforementioned K900 (K9 in South Korea) due in 2018 might get its own emblem, according to company spokesman Han Jiwon. He went on to specify the brand’s flagship model will also ditch the existing moniker for something fresh, without revealing what it will be.

Source: Kia via Automotive News

Gallery: 2018 Kia Stinger