What do you know about Kia? Even if you haven’t driven their vehicles, you’ve likely heard a lot about them. If you’ve seen the company’s commercials, you are familiar with the Kia hamsters. These critters are fun, exciting, and stylish; just like Kia’s vehicles. This is the image that Kia has gone with for years. However, their newest addition may change this.

While definitely still a Kia vehicle, the Kia Stinger looks quite a bit different from its companions in the Kia fleet. This is apparent at a first glance. While the Stinger retains significant Kia design elements, it is first and foremost a sports sedan. This is relatively uncharted for Kia. However, the company seems to be navigating the different field quite well.

This divergent vehicle has also gained Kia its first ever finalist position for the North American Car of the Year award. The announcement came at the end of November, when it was revealed that the Kia Stinger has a good chance of winning the 2018 North American Car of the Year award.

This has been a dream for the company for quite some time. In the 23 years that the award has been given, the company has never had a vehicle reach the final three. The Stinger started as a concept vehicle years ago, and now here it is reaching prominent spotlight. It remains to be seen if the vehicle will take home the top award; regardless, this an accomplishment for both Kia and the Stinger.