Hyundai Motor Co. and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors Corp. are considering hiking their annual sales target by 100,000 for next year despite tough global market conditions, industry sources said Sunday.
  

Company officials, however, said that nothing has been decided, adding that they need more time to finalize their 2016 business plan.
  

According to industry sources, the two South Korean carmakers internally have decided to sell around 8.3 million units at home and abroad next year. The figure is larger than the 8.2 million units that they are aiming to sell this year.
  

If the latest sales target is true, they would push to sell over 8 million cars annually for the third straight year.
  

The somewhat rosy outlook seems to be based on the two carmakers' plans to open new plants in 2016 that will expand their capacity to meet demand in emerging markets.
  

Kia Motors will launch its Mexico plant in May, while Hyundai Motor's additional plant in China will start producing cars in the second half.
  

Some, however, remain skeptical about the projection numbers as they likely won't beat even this year's sales objective in the face of toughened global market conditions.
  

Based on sales figures unveiled for the past 11 months, market watchers said their combined sales at home and abroad would be around 8 million units for 2015. Some cautiously are speculating that their annual target could remain unchanged or be lower than this year's.
  

A Hyundai Motor Group official said the companies have not finalized their 2016 business plan, adding that there are many "undecided" factors.
  

He pointed out that the final business plan shouldn't come out until after Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo meets the heads of overseas sales dealers scheduled for mid-December.
  

"We can say that the 8.3 million unit target is not true at this moment," he said. "The final business plan will be unveiled on Jan. 4." (Yonhap)