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The fast-growing Korean brand that popped into the top 10 for sales again in January has a large sedan and a new hatch headed for the international market, but don't expect to see them on Kia forecourts in Australia.
The Korean brand has just unveiled its new cee'd hatch but Kia Australia's Kevin Hepworth says its no chance for Australia given the presence of Cerato.
"We already have Cerato, there's a new Cerato coming next year and they are essentially the same sized car, we definitely won't be getting the car," he says.
The next Cerato will be an all-new car - in the same vein as the reigning Carsguide Car of The Year, Kia's Rio - and will have (like the Rio and Sportage SUV) Australian-influenced chassis development done by Graeme Gambold.
At the other end of the spectrum, Kia internationally has also released sketches of a large-car that will be launched in its home market mid-year, called KH.
The company's first rear-drive sedan, which has close links to the Hyundai Genesis rear-drive model, bears the now-familiar front grille and takes the styling of the current Optima a step further.
Kia's overseas marketing director Soon-Nam Lee says the new large sedan would be an eye-catching flagship. "It integrates all of our key capabilities such as design, performance, high-tech features and infotainment into one striking model."
"Although launch timings for overseas markets are yet to be confirmed, this all-new rear-wheel drive large sedan will definitely become the leading model of our line-up around the world, showcasing the best of the best of Kia," he says.
But the shrinking group of Australian large car buyers may have to wait until the second incarnation of KH for right-hand drive build plans before they can look at a Korean large car on sale here.
Hepworth says the KH - also known rather dangerously as the K9 - is not a likely starter for Australia either.
"It's not on the cards for Australia, initially because it is only left-hand drive. We've just introduced Optima in the last 12 months, that's a genuine mid-size passenger vehicle," he says.
Combine the presence of the Optima and shrinking large car volumes and the business case would be a tough sell, but the Australian arm of Kia doesn't need to pursue it - "it's saved us that because we can't get it," Hepworth says, What will be coming this year for the Korean brand - which finished 2011 up 5.4 per cent in a market down 2.6 per cent - is an revamped Sorento.
The company's largest SUV won't change much in the looks department but gets new underpinnings (shared with the Hyundai Santa Fe) to reduce parent company Hyundai's production complexity.
"We're not launching it as a new model, we'll do the localistion of the chassis on that, which will be here about August," he says.
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