Plex Zorce Jedi Master
Joined: 01 May 2005 Posts: 9039 Location: T&T
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Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 8:56 am Post subject: Samsung switching from Nissan to Renault platforms |
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Samsung�s QM5 SUV (pictured), which went on sale late last year, was one of the first cars to be developed under the newly formed Renault-Samsung partnership. Before that, Samsung�s automotive unit relied on platforms and whole cars supplied by Nissan. According to latest reports, the QM5 is just the first of a host of new models to be based on Renault designs, in this case the new Koleos SUV.
Future models developed under the Renault-Samsung partnership will be based on Renault�s other designs, with cars like the Megane II and recently launched Laguna III expected to spawn several new models. The current �SM� series of cars are based on platforms shared with Nissan but from 2009 onwards the SM cars will feature French running gear.
Speaking with Automotive News, Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said that he wanted South Korea to become �hub of Renault in Asia� and that �this will facilitate a lot of exports from Korea.�
New products will bolster Renault Samsung, but no high-end luxury vehicle is coming, Ghosn said. However, other models in the pipeline include a possible Samsung version of the Renault Espace MPV that could enter production by the end of the decade.
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