Kia aims for top 5

The ambitious plan to win a much bigger following among local car buyers, with a completely new set of showroom contenders, is revealed by the Korean brand's global boss Hank Lee during an exclusive Carsguide interview in New Zealand.

Lee says Kia will be selling 60,000 vehicles a year in Australia by 2015 and - in partnership with Hyundai - the giant Korean conglomerate could easily be number two overall behind Toyota.  He is targeting a six per cent share of local sales inside five years and believes he will have the models - 16 in total - to do the job.

"My ambition is very high. By 2013 I think most of our product will be new. That, I think, is our strength," Lee tells Carsguide.  "When we have the new Cerato in early 2013 then I think this is the time we can catch up. Along with the Rio coming next year."

Lee says Hyundai-Kia is aiming for a global top-three spot by the end of the decade but admits Toyota's strength, a resurgent Ford and an ambitious Volkswagen - which now says it wants to be worldwide number one in 2018 - will make things tough.

"It think it is up to our endeavour, with the new product and the communication to the customers."  This year he forecasts two million Kia sales, up from 1.5 million in 2009, and has already delivered a 49.2 per cent improvement through the first six months.

"Globally we project two million units. In the first half we sold one million," Lee says.  "Actually, after the financial crisis back in 2008 we reduced the shipments dramatically. The 49 per cent is kind of the catch-up."

He says Kia is now targeting best-in-class results for its new cars, with Toyota as the quality benchmark and a couple of European companies - including Fiat and Peugeot - as the target for driving enjoyment.