Renault Koleos SUV coming to China market

Shanghai, March 23 (Gasgoo.com) French carmaker Renault's first Crossover SUV model, the all-new Koleos, will be imported to the Chinese market this month just before the 2009 Shanghai auto show in April to compete with city SUVs locally made in China, said xinhuanet.com today.

Chinese buyers can place orders soon and pick up the car in mid-April. Its selling price may start from 242,000 yuan ($35,500). The Renault-branded import car division at Nissan (China) Investment Co., Ltd. is seeking an ideal Chinese name for the Koleo SUV for its better acceptance in the China market.

The Koleos is an all-new multipurpose SUV model developed by the Renault-Nissan alliance, fashioned after the Renault Samsung QM5 on the Nissan Qashqai platform. As Renault's first-ever SUV, the Renault Koleos was first presented as a concept car at the 2006 Mondial de l'Automobile in Paris. It is manufactured by Renault Samsung Motors at its plant in Busan, South Korea.

The Koleos features the four-wheel-drive (FWD) system and comes equipped with either a dCi 150 engine or a dCi 175 engine, and a six-speed manual or automatic gearbox for choice. Renault Koleos' basic model sells for $35,500, and the FWD edition for $48,700. They were put on sale in Europe in July 2008.

To be imported just before the upcoming Shanghai auto show, the Renault Koleos will mainly vie with locally made Toyota RAC4 and Honda CRV in the mid-class SUV market of China. The Renault SUV is also likely to be made in China for the local market.

This year Renault has restarted its auto import strategy in China, where the Laguna sedan was launched in late February. In the Chinese market, Renault will be positioned as a leisure luxury brand, and will bring in 14 models including sub-1.6L cars in the coming three years.