As the first spade was turned to launch the construction of Kia's first European plant at Zilina in in Slovakia, the company's vice president in Europe Jean-Charles Lievens confirmed his company's European volume objective: 500,000 units by 2008, after 300,000 next year.

Kia sales in Europe rose by 41% last year, to 127,000. The brand's future sales growth will be supplied in part from the 200,000-unit capacity of its Slovakian plant, which could be increased to 300,000 if market appetite supports the further investment beyond the €1 billion already committed. 16 new Kia models are due to be launched by 2007.