QM3 enjoys popularity
Renault’s QM3
By Park Jin-hai
The popularity of the QM3, which opened the local trend for small diesel sports utility vehicles, does not seem to be fading.
In the much heated segment, where Hyundai Motor, GM Korea and Ssangyong Motor have all joined the trend unveiling their versions of small diesel SUVs, Renault Samsung Motors has been making headway, thanks to the QM3’s die-hard popularity.
“Among the imported cars sold here, the QM3 is the single model that sold more than 30,000,” said a Renault spokesman. “Along with its ‘monstrous’ fuel efficiency, its wide after-sales networks ― comparable to those of local ones ― and unique styling must have appealed to young customers in their 20s and 30s who equally value personality and reasonable prices for their cars.”
Since its December 2013 launch, the iconic duel-tone roofed vehicle, with the fuel efficiency of 18.5 kilometers per liter delivered from its 1.5-liter diesel engine, triggered the compact diesel SUV craze in Korea, forcing customers to wait a couple of months to receive the vehicle.
The vehicles are produced in the French carmaker Renault's Spain plant, but they are sold under the Renault Samsung badge here, using local after-sales networks.
The company sold 14,668 QM3s as of August, up 60 percent from the previous year. Its monthly sales also surpassed the 2,000 mark for five months in a row since April.
Among all lineups the carmaker is selling here, the QM3 is the only model whose monthly sales topped the 2,000 mark, according to the company.
Renault says the QM3 is not like other SUVs and if European sales are any guide, where the demand for small diesel SUVs has been sweeping the market early on, the QM3 will be the ultimate winner.
In Europe, the QM3 is sold locally as the Capture, while GM is selling the Mokka, which shares its engine with the Trax diesel and Ssangyong, is selling the Tivoli compact SUV there.
“Among the compact SUVs competing in the Europe, the Capture is the only model included in the top 10 best-selling cars,” said the official.
According to automotive research firm JATO Dynamics, the Capture has been listed as the best seller, selling 83,797 vehicles between January and May, followed by the Peugeot 2008, with 70,250, and the Mokka, with 69,200.
“The Capture is now threatening to take the Volkswagen Golf’s place in Europe,” added the company official.
In the local market, the carmaker will continue its bullish sales momentum in the latter half of this year, with aggressive pricing and securing a stable supply of the QM3s.
It has now secured 4,000 QM3s allocated for the country, while cutting the vehicle’s price tag by 800,000 won, reflecting the Korea-EU free trade agreement in advance. In September, in line with the government move to boost domestic demand, it is offering 0.5 percent interest rate auto financing products.