Renault Korea to balance exports, domestic sales for sustainable growth: CEO

Renault Korea will achieve sustainable growth by “balancing exports and domestic sales” in the hyper-competitive automotive market here, its CEO Stéphane Deblaise said during a recent interview. The carmaker made a surprise comeback last year with the successful launch of its flagship Grand Koleos SUV — the first new model the company introduced for Korea after a four-year hiatus. The head of the French carmaker’s local subsidiary expressed confidence in extending its winning streak by placing a strategic focus on spurring growth both in exports and domestic sales on an equal footing. “I think it is most ideal to be able to sell 50 percent of each of the total sales in the domestic and export markets,” he told The Korea Times at its flagship store in Seoul, April 4. Unlike most other foreign-based carmakers here, Renault Korea has its own production lines in the nation’s southeastern port city of Busan. The facility manufactures its vehicles for customers here and abroad. Buoyed by the Grand Koleos' robust sales, Renault Korea’s overall sales are on a solid recovery track