Renault Group chairman to visit Seoul

Renault Group chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn will visit Seoul this week to unveil the group’s business policies for its Korean unit, Renault Samsung Motors said Monday.

With Ghosn scheduled to hold a press conference on Friday, the event is drawing attention in the auto industry as his visit to Seoul will mark his first since February 2008.

Renault Samsung, the local unit of the France-based automaker, will begin mass production of electric vehicles early next year. This September, the company will release the face-lifted model of the SM3 compact sedan.

“Aside from holding a news conference, our chairman is scheduled to visit the manufacturing factory (in Busan) and the design research center (in Giheung, Gyeonggi Province) on the same day,” a company spokesman said.

But the spokesman said he is unsure of the feasibility of the chairman being able to meet executives of Samsung Group, which holds about a 20 percent stake in Renault Samsung.

While the French group has been under a brand-name partnership with Samsung Group, it is considering enhancing its business alliance with LG Group.

LG Chem will provide Renault Samsung with the batteries for its upcoming electric vehicles.

Last month in Seoul, Renault Group chief operating officer Carlos Tavares, the No. 2 figure in the group, announced at a news conference a plan to introduce a new lineup of small crossover compact utility vehicles in the local market.

By Kim Yon-se (kys@heraldcorp.com)