The Stinger traces its roots to the GT Concept from the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show and the Kia GT4 Stinger from the 2014 North American International Auto Show. Designed by Peter Schreyer and Gregory Guillaume (Kia's Chief Designer) at Kia's European studio in Frankfurt and engineered by former BMW M Vice President of Engineering Albert Biermann, the car was unveiled at the 2017 North American International Auto Show. Biermann is now the executive vice president of performance development and high performance vehicles of the Hyundai Motor Group.

According to Guillaume, the Stinger's design was partially inspired by the Coca-Cola bottle. During an interview, he offered the following comment of the car's purpose. "The new Kia Stinger is a true gran turismo, a car for spirited long distance. It's not about outright power, hard-edged dynamics and brutal styling all at the expense of luxury, comfort and grace. The Stinger has nothing to do with being the first to arrive at the destination—this car is all about the journey."

Testing of the car involved over 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) at the Korea International Circuit and 10,000 kilometres (6,200 mi) at the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

For the Korean market, the Stinger wears a unique 'E' badge, which symbolizes the core theme of "Engineered by Excellence".