The New SM5

By Kim Tae-gyu
Staff reporter

There is a time-honored belief that a sequel tends to be worse than the original. But that seems not to be the case for the New SM5, the recently launched three volume family saloon of Renault Samsung Motors.

The SM5 has been the flagship sedan of Renault Samsung over the past 10 years as the model continued to hold its ground against tough domestic competitors such as Hyundai Motor or Kia Motors.

After upgrading the fancy vehicle to the second-generation model in 2005, Renault Samsung came up with the third-generation of the New SM5 early this year to draw sensational responses in the markets.

When the corporation channeled around 400 billion won ($320 million) into the upgrade for three full years, concerns were lingering on whether or not the large investments could be recouped.

But when the redesigned version was unveiled, it instantly prodded market watchers to issue positive predictions ― it is good enough to live up to the legacy of the SM5, which moved more than 700,000 units here.

Its spacious seats, elegant and refined styling and unique features of a dual-mode air ionizer with fragrance diffuser and the massage front seat raised the bar for the upper middle-sized sedan.

Upside of 6,000 New SM5s have been sold every month in the local market alone amid stiff competition ― its rivals have phased in new models during the first six months of 2010.

``The New SM5 deserves the accolade, which was obtained by its predecessors. As soon as the model was introduced under the global project of Renault, many rivals have sweated,'' a Seoul analyst said.

``It is gaining a reputation as a status-enhancing family saloon. The brisk sales of the model amply demonstrate how well the model is accepted in Korea. It is also likely to fare well in the global markets.''

Indeed, the Seoul-based company is ready to wade into the global markets with the models in a full-fledged manner with the export model name of Latitude. The company started to ship them overseas late June ― with about 80 vehicles shipped to Morocco.

``The model will be exported to 30 or so countries, beginning with Morocco, including France, China, Mexico and the Gulf countries,'' the company said in a press release in time with the first export.