Hyundai-Kia Automotive is preparing to bring a raft of low-emission technology vehicles to Europe as part of a £2 billion “green” growth investment.

The group is aiming to become one of the world’s top four manufacturers of low emission vehicles by 2012. It has slated 2012 as the launch year for its fuel cell electric vehicles on the Korean market.

Kia is working on petrol, diesel hybrids as well as fuel cell vehicles. These vehicles are due to be exported within a couple of years of their introduction into the Korean domestic market.

Sun Yung Kim, president of Kia Motors Europe, said: “The Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group is determined to bring affordable and usable green technology to the European consumer.

“We expect the demand for environmentally friendly and low emission vehicles will pick up strongly as the global market emerges from the current recession and we are determined to be ready to meet that demand from our customers. ”

Kia already has fuel cell development vehicles operating in various locations including California. Kia and Hyundai are providing test vehicles to various Government bodies in Korea and are committed to developing fuel cell vehicles that can be easily built on traditional production lines by 2015.