Renault Samsung debuts facelifted QM3

Renault Samsung Motors said it had released the 2016 QM3, facilitated with the Euro 6 engine that has dramatically reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

From its enhanced gas mileage of 17.7 kilometers per liter to advanced programs including the auto stop and start system, the best-selling compact sports utility car has some of the best features in the market.

And the price is still relatively low, starting from 22.3 million won ($19,000) by the end of the year, adjusted for the individual tax discount. On top of that, the carmaker will knock another 1 million won off the price to cover registration tax until Dec. 31.

The discount program was designed to boost the sales of the already best-selling compact SUV. According to Renault Samsung, 41,651 QM3s have been sold since the vehicle’s launch in December 2013.

The QM3 is seen as an iconoclastic figure in the domestic car market: Developed in France and manufactured in Spain, the car sold by local automaker Renault-Samsung has benefits of both domestic and imported cars.

“Strongly influenced by the vivid exterior of a European car, we provide a wide range of choice in color: from the conventional black and silver, to the conspicuous orange, fair red, ivory and others. You can also have two-tone, adjusting different colors to different parts of the body,” a Renault Samsung spokesman stated.

“But at the same time, we provide equal after-sales service fees and insurance premiums are also similar to that of a domestic car -- lower than those for imported cars. This is a double benefit.”

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)