Renault Group's Asian Hub
Renault Samsung to retain its strong grip on auto market, expand sales of its cars
President Jean Marie Hurtiger of Renault-Samsung Motors Co. said 2008 will be the year for the company to climb a step up the ladder of progress using the competitive base the company has built over the past several years.
He said the automaker will strengthen its hold on the car market in Korea by expanding the sales of vehicles such as the SM5 New Impression and the QM5 introduced in the market in the second half of last year as well as the modified version of the SM7, which debuted early this year.
The CEO said the automaker will also push exports of its cars including the QM5 sedan, of which it plans to produce 100,000 units this year, with the aim of shipping from 60 to 65 percent of them overseas under the Renault brand name of Koleos.
He said the company will expand its production facility in Busan and hire more people this year. The automaker will strengthen its brand identity in order to be recognized around the world as a premium brand.
In the days ahead, Renault-Samsung will be a hub in Asia for the Renault Group and will continue to supply the highest quality Renault cars in the Korean auto market for its continued stable growth. The move is related to the company's target to sell 250,000 cars in Korea by 2009, double its domestic sales in 2005.
As a responsible corporate citizen in Korea, the automaker will do all it can to upgrade Korea's environment, traffic safety for children and its support of cultural and artistic events through a campaign to make Korean society affluent and a good place to live for all of its residents.
Looking back, he said, 2007 was a good year and a busy year for the automaker. Management conditions though, both at home and abroad, were not encouraging with high oil prices, high interest rates and unstable foreign exchange rates, among others.
Despite the difficulties, Renualt-Samsung was able to implement its RSM Commitment 2009 by introducing new car models and achieving management results as planned.
In the domestic market, the company introduced the revised version of the SM5 model, which is a steady seller in Korea.
The SM5 New Impression, powered by the New 2.0 MIG gasoline engine, has been drawing favorable reactions from its customers due to its strengthened specifications for the safety and convenience of drivers.
The company also introduced in the market last December its new crossover model QM5, which was the first such car model jointly developed by Renault-Samsung and Nissan Engineering. The Renault Group's R&D unit took charge of the design under a global car development project of the France-based automotive group.
The new car model has been selling well and the auto community has been paying a great deal of attention to the new type of vehicle, especially on the way it was developed.
The QM5 will be produced at the company's Busan plant and will be shipped overseas under the Renault brand name, which will help boost Renault-Samsung's competitive edge.
The company has been able to keep the implementation of the 'RSM Commitment 2009'management target on track by achieving the growth target through the expansion of its product line-up, upgrades to quality and customer satisfaction and improved operating profit.
According to a survey, Renault-Samsung won the top place in the customer satisfaction index for six years in a row, solidifying its customers'trust in the company, a sustainable base for the automaker's continuous growth.
In the meantime, President Hurtiger and 120 of the company's officers and new employees visited the Taean coastal area and helped with the oil-spill cleanup, consoled residents of the disaster-stricken area, presented them with gifts and served rice-cake soup to local senior citizens on Jan. 27.
The CEO said he was impressed by the strong spirit of the volunteers who came from all over the country to lend their hands to clean up the oil spill and see that the area is returned to normal. nw
President Jean Marie Hurtiger of Renault Samsung Motor Co. presents a gift to a resident of Taean County in North Jeolla Province, whose coasts were engulfed by oil spills from an oil tanker, which collided with barges carrying giant lifts.(right photo) President Jean Marie Hurtiger of Renault Samsung Motor. |