Renault Samsung debuts new SM5

Renault Samsung Motors unveiled the SM5 Nova, the latest edition of its flagship mid-size premium sedan, on Monday in Seoul to continue its sales momentum.

The SM5 Nova adopts Renault’s new brand identity and boasts technological prowess and better fuel efficiency, the company said.

The carmaker raised hopes for a repeat of last year’s success of the small crossover sport utility vehicle QM3 with the SM5 Nova this year. The success of the QM3 boosted Renault Samsung’s sales at home last year. The carmaker’s yearly domestic sales jumped 33.3 percent in 2014.

“The company has set a goal of selling more than 30,000 units of SM5 this year,” said Park Dong-hoon, Renault Samsung’s executive vice president in charge of sales and marketing.

To achieve the goal, the carmaker has decided to enter the premium LPG-fueled taxi market. “The company expects 40 percent of SM5 Nova’s sales to come from the taxi segment,” Park said.

It is important for Renault Samsung to achieve its 2015 sales goal for the SM5 Nova in order to reclaim its No. 3 spot in domestic sales by 2016, Renault Samsung Motors CEO Francois Provost said during the press conference.

The SM5 Nova adopted the LED daytime running light and a “refined” and “dignified” facade. It also applied the “mirroring system” that connects smartphone images to car monitors through wireless Internet, which was introduced on the SM7 Nova for the first time here, the carmaker said.

By Seo Jee-yeon (jyseo@heraldcorp,com)