April 25, 2024

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[THE INVESTOR] Renault Samsung Motors, the Korean unit of Renault Group, will be taking full charge of developing the French auto giant’s upcoming sport utility vehicles.

“Renault Samsung will lead research and development for Renault’s new SUV lineup,” a company official told The Investor on Dec. 19. “The success of QM6 SUV has proved our technical ability and high-quality design to produce good cars.”

 

Renault Samsung QM6

Gilles Normand, Renault’s Asia-Pacific chief, who visited Korea early this month had also hinted that the carmaker would play a bigger role in developing and producing new SUVs.

“QM6, which was launched a few months ago, is being received well in the Korean market, as a different SUV with prominent style and performance. This car also has global potential as it is produced in our Busan plant for export to other markets,” he was quoted as saying during the visit.

The R&D work will be led by Renault Samsung Technical Center in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, where the QM6 and the SM6 midsize sedan were developed. The center, home to some 1,000 researchers, is one of five Renault’s research venues around the world, including in France, Romania, India and Brazil, and serves as the major research hub for the Asian market.

Since its release in September, the new QM6 has achieved immense popularity in the SUV segment, beating its bigger rival Hyundai Motor’s Santa Fe SUV. In Sept., QM6 sold 2,536 units, followed by 4,141 units in Oct. and 3,859 in November, exceeding the 10,000 mark.

The QM6 SUVs are produced in its Busan plant and shipped overseas, including Asian countries and Australia. It plans to ship to 80 nations next year, focusing on the European market.

By Ahn Sung-mi (sahn@heraldcorp.com)