South Korean models pose with Kia Motors’ new Forte during the unveiling ceremony last week in Seoul.

AP / Ahn Young-joon

Kia Motors Corp., South Korea’s second-biggest automaker, unveiled the Forte small car as higher gasoline prices boost demand for fuel-efficient cars worldwide.

Kia, an affiliate of South Korea’s biggest automaker, Hyundai Motor Co., aims to sell 220,000 Fortes next year including 170,000 exports, the Seoul-based carmaker said in an e-mailed statement last week. Annual sales for the model will rise to 250,000 annually from 2010, it said.

The Forte is Kia’s fourth new or redesigned model this year, as the carmaker revamps its lineup to boost annual vehicle sales to a record 1.7 million. The fuel-efficient car will help Kia compete in the U.S. where new vehicle demand is slowing on high gasoline prices and a weakening economy.

“The launch of the Forte could act as a short-term catalyst for Kia,” Zayong Koo, a Seoul-based analyst at Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. wrote in a report last week. “The biggest appeal of the Forte is its luxury options and fuel efficiency.”

The Forte is equipped with a 1.6-liter gasoline or diesel engine and will sell from 11.9 million won (about $11,300) to 19.65 million won ($18,660). The carmaker will add a 2-liter version later, it said.

Kia plans to sell 30,000 units of the new model this year, including 10,000 in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. U.S. sales of the Forte will begin next year.

The carmaker’s South Korean sales have risen 18 percent this year through July, making it the biggest gainer among the country’s five carmakers. Kia boosted sales with redesigns of its Morning minicar, Lotze mid-size sedan and new Mohave sport- utility vehicle. It also plans to introduce a small crossover vehicle called Soul as early as September.

Kia’s global sales for the first seven months of the year climbed 17 percent to 839,384 units from a year ago led by demand in China and Europe, according to the company’s Web site.

The company’s Cerato sedan, which sells as Spectra in the U.S., will be replaced by the Forte. Cerato is Kia’s best- selling overseas model. The company didn’t disclose Forte’s export price or whether it will sell under a different name.