[Herald Interview] ‘Renault Grand Koleos is like Chanel’

BUSAN -- The Korean-tailored features, positioning and unique name of the Grand Koleos, the sports utility vehicle Renault Korea debuted at the 2024 Busan International Mobility Show last week, will lure Korean customers, according to the CEO of the French automaker’s local office.

“This car is completely answering to a different proposal that we can give as a French brand,” said Renault Korea CEO Stephane Deblaise in an interview with the Korea Automobile Journalists Association on the sidelines of the auto event Thursday.

Noting that the Grand Koleos is totally designed for Korean customers with several strong features, the CEO pointed to its outstanding hybrid engine, the car’s roominess, especially in the second row, and locally-targeted infotainment system that features collaboration with industry leaders such as Naver and T Mobility.

According to Renault Korea, the Grand Koleos has a wheelbase of 2,820 millimeters, which is the longest among large SUVs in the D segment. The automaker said the knee space in the second row was 320 mm, which is also the largest in the segment.

The SUVs in the D segment are considered to offer some luxury features without being the most high-end or expensive models.

“There are not so many cars under the D SUV segment in Korea,” said Deblaise. “I don't need to tell you the name of the competitors but we don't try to be in front of these competitors. We try to be different from them to offer an alternative to Korean customers.”

The Grand Koleos’ hybrid model boasts optimized fuel efficiency, as it can run on electricity alone for about 75 percent of the traveling time while driving at 40 kilometers per hour or less.

The CEO pointed out that the new model is the only car with three screens on the dashboard in the market, adding that the French brand will provide a 5G data connection for five years upon the purchase, which he believes will appeal to younger customers.

Asked about the unfamiliar name of the Grand Koleos to Korean customers, Deblaise compared the case to Chanel and Apple.

“Do you think that Chanel will change its name because Korean people (find it hard) to pronounce it properly or Apple will change the name?” he asked.

“If Korean people don’t pronounce (Grand Koleos) properly, you will pronounce it the way you think it is. It’s not an issue for us. … The most important thing is to have a unique name as there is only one name for Chanel.”

Regarding the absence of electric vehicles in Renault Korea’s portfolio, the CEO said that the brand was adapting to market circumstances regarding electric vehicles.

“We will import the cars that we think are suitable for the market,” he said.

“But as you can see the EV market (in Korea) is not moving so quickly, meaning that the EV market share is very low. This is why I will say we are not behind. We are pragmatic. We are very down to Earth and we sell what the customer wants to buy.”

Renault Korea will begin selling the Scenic E-Tech electric, which was released in the European market earlier this year, here sometime next year. The EV is equipped with an 87-kilowatt-hour battery to offer up to 625 km of driving distance per charge.

As for the pricing of the new car, the CEO refrained from disclosing the numbers yet but explained that they will be announced in the coming weeks. Deblaise unveiled that the Grand Koleos, which will be manufactured from its Busan plant, will be exported to global markets at some point in the future without mentioning specific timelines.