Renault Expands Asia-Pacific Design Presence

Renault Group Chief Operating Officer Carlos Tavares announces the designation of the recently upgraded Renault Samsung Motors design studio in South Korea as Renault Design Asia, with responsibility for carrying out all design activity for vehicles being developed by the auto maker for Asian markets.

Speaking at a news conference at the RSM Technical Center and Creative Center in Giheung in suburban Seoul, Tavares says Renault Design Asia is taking over design of the next-generation SM3 compact sedan and QM5 cross/utility vehicle.

Styling for both vehicles until now has been the responsibility of the Renault Technocentre in the Paris suburb of Guyancourt.

Tavares says the Asia-Pacific region presents huge potential for the Renault-Nissan Alliance and Renault Design Asia will help Renault Group better identify and understand customer expectations in Asian markets and develop designs that please them.

Renault Design Asia will compete for work with Renault Group design centers in France, Brazil, India and Romania, regardless of where the new vehicles will be developed and produced.

Tavares notes improved sales by Renault Samsung and says the French auto maker’s Korea-based subsidiary could win a 10% share of the local market in the near future, up from the current 3%.

Renault Samsung in 2012 saw global sales plummet 44%, from 118,136 units to just 65,691. Capacity at the auto maker’s state-of-the-art plant in Busan is 300,000 units annually.

However, Tavares says, the Renault Group fully supports Renault Samsung, which “has proven its competence, and its status within Renault is rising.”

The Nissan Rogue CUV will be built at the Busan plant beginning next year, for export to the U.S. market. Renault has invested $160 million to retool the factory and has set a 2014 production target of 80,000 units annually.

Busan also begins serial production of the SM3EZ electric vehicle in the second half of this year.

Renault Samsung CEO Francois Provost says establishment of the Renault Design Asia studio will help the auto maker demonstrate its competitiveness on a global scale.