The XM3 Inspire Concept by Renault Samsung Motors
The 2019 Seoul Motor Show revealed the Renault Samsung Motors XM3 Inspire Concept and from the onset, it was clear that the XM3 had a lot in common with the Renault Arkana which debuted at the Moscow International Auto Salon in Russia last August.
While the name says Renault Samsung Motors, the XM3 Inspire Concept Car does not sport the diamond Renault logo. That is because it’s essentially a Samsung-branded concept hence why they are referred to as Renault Samsung Motors and not Samsung Electronics. Even though the carmaker was originally established in 1994, they only started selling cars in 1998. Then in 2000, the company became a Renault subsidiary which explains the official “Renault Samsung Motors” handle. The rest, as they say, is history and the XM3 Inspire Concept is the future.
XM3 Inspire Concept Combines Coupe With An SUV
According to Renault Samsung, the XM3 “embodies a new era in Renault Samsung Motors design”. While it may be similar to the Arkana revealed in Moscow, the XM3 Inspire Concept has orange accents on the lower sections of the bumpers and side sills where eye-catching 19-inch alloy wheels are indicative of a slightly different design.
Other changes aren’t all that obvious but include the Renault Samsung badges and skid plate-style elements on the front and the back. Unfortunately, just like the Arkana, there are no images or details about the interior but early speculation suggest the cabin could be something like the new Renault Clio.
In terms of specifications, all XM3 (and Arkana) models will likely be front-wheel-drive with a 1.6-litre Duster engine or the 1.3-litre turbo releasing up to 150 horsepower. While the Arkana was based on a heavily modified version of the B0 platform, both the Renault Captur and Duster measure about 4.3 meters. With that in mind, the XM3 Inspire Concepts appears to be bigger but only time will tell as more information is released.
The Renault Samsung Motors coupe-SUV will be built at the Busan factory in South Korea forming part of the company’s ‘Drive to the Future’ plan. It intends on targeting 5 million sales per year in South Korea by the end of 2022. Production is set to start during the first half of 2020 but exclusively for the local market.
The XM3 Inspire Concept unveiled at the Seoul Motor Show will join the likes of other KDM-spec models. Most will be SM-badged sedans strongly related to Renault along with the Renault Koleos-based QM6 midsize SUV.
According to Laurens Van den Acker, Senior Vice President of Corporate Design for Renault, “The XM3 Inspire show car, revealed today by Renault Samsung Motors, unveils the lines of a future vehicle perfectly blending the athletic proportions of an SUV and the elegance of a sedan. With the clear objective of meeting the expectations of our customers in South Korea, we sought to create the most elegant vehicle in the world, an emblematic model that will mark the true design transformation of Renault Samsung Motors.”
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