Renault-Samsung Confirms Mitsubishi Product Offerings, US Will Get SM5
Reports out of South Korea are confirming the news that French car enthusiasts have been waiting on for decades: Americans will soon be able to buy French cars again, with Renault Samsung confirming that the first Mitsubishi-branded product exported to America will be the Renault-Samsung SM5.
Just-Auto is reporting that the first product, a D-Segment sedan, will be based on the R enault-Samsung SM5, which is sold in other markets as the Renault Latitude and Safrane. The unnamed C-Segment car slated to follow is said to be the Renault-Samsung SM3, also known as the Renault Fluence. The two South Korean-built cars no benefit from a free trade deal between America and South Korea, and give Mitsubishi a way to replace the aging Lancer and plug a hole in its US lineup without having to shell out the R&D dollars to develop new products. In return, Renault-Nissan will benefit from Mitsubishi’s experience in developing kei-cars and other minicars for world markets.
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I've been traveling to Brazil monthly this year, and rented a lot of Renault Fluence's. It's a pretty good mid-size car, and although I am not a CVT fan, it is one of the few cars with balls down there. I'll take it over a Fiat Linea anyday, or a Brazilian Ford Focus.
I was hoping for the inclusion of Francois Hollande lunettes engaging that "may-I-be-of-service," gesture of his. Instead I think folks here will pry a rare French diamond for their backpacks.
They're going to replace the Lancer with the Fluence? Why do they even bother selling cars when they're not even going to invest in a new generation of their most well-known car?
Samsung cars are nothing special. Even Koreans don't seem to care much for them, or take much pride in them. Even Samsung itself basically bailed on the business, lending its name to the foreign companies running the company.