There is no intention to own dealers, but there could be some interim steps taken to get the full network that Cole is after.

“We own one head lease which is in Bolton, but that is by default. We are not trying to grow it, but neither do we intend to sell. Ownership works for us at the moment, but we are not going to use it to try things out."

Cole has a target. It’s called Vision 100 which is code for 100,000 units a year. There is no target year specified for that, but next year the rate is due to be 60,000.

Cole knows that many dealers in the network are not up to scratch. “Ten years ago we might have gone for the wrong people,” he says politely. There are to be “coaching programmes” focusing firstly on the lowest quartile.

“We have a wide spread of dealer performance. The top people are making return on sales of 4-5%, but there are a number who are loss-making.”

The quality of service performance is below schedule and the coaching scheme will have a heavy emphasis on that. Cole thinks that all the dealers in the network can deliver what is needed. “There is no need for terminations.”

There is a little friction from the dealers to contend with. Kia spent time as top dog in the National Franchised Dealers’ Association survey but has slipped to fifth, then ninth.

Cole is not too unhappy about that, believing that he should be measured only alongside peers in the volume sector. On that scale Kia UK is second only to Nissan.

There is an almighty battle to come in the segment Kia operates in with the arrival of the Chinese brands next year. Their cars will be cheap.

By the time they arrive, Kia has to be established with a reputation other than cheap.

Kia belies its small size by thinking big on the world stage.

In partnership with Hyundai it has World Cup football rights with FIFA. It is also attached to European football championships in 2012. It has a five-year (seven-figure) deal for the Oval to be called Kia Oval.

There was no temptation to sponsor football in the UK because it is “far too tribal” and divides, rather than unites people.

It’s all his shout too; there is no part of the corporate hierarchy trying to influence his sponsorships and affiliations. Kia UK does what Kia UK wants to do.

Dealer is hugely impressed

John McGuire owns and runs Kia at Phoenix in Paisley.

It’s a brand that he has a high regard for and he should know. He also sells Honda, Mitsubishi, Mazda, Hyundai, Suzuki, BMW and Mini.

He has 20 dealerships, 400 staff, £160 million of turnover and is 71st in the AM100 top companies list.

The reason he decided that Kia might be a good punt was: “They told me that they were going to open a new R&D centre in Germany and a factory in Slovakia.

“They said the cars would be European in flavour and that Hyundai Kia would be a big player – and in the top six companies worldwide.

“And it’s all happened.”

Now it’s the product flow that is impressing him. “We had 400 people in our showroom for the launch of the new Rio.

“We had Brazilian dancers and a fantastic night. The next day we sold four Rios. It is a fantastic car which can do 88mpg. ”

“These are hard times, but the Kia people have energy and excitement. That runs top to bottom in Kia.

“We are hugely impressed with Michael Cole. He is a very considered man, one of the Toyota mafia.

“I liked the way that Michael came to the funeral when my long-time business partner passed away five weeks ago.

"When I turned up at the front door he was just standing there.”