Renault opens vehicle test center in S. Korea

SEOUL. KAZINFORM Renault SA has opened a vehicle test center in South Korea to check models newly developed for the Asia-Pacific region, the carmaker's local unit said Friday.

Renault Samsung Motors Corp. signed an initial deal with Daegu Metropolitan City and the Daegu-based Korea Intelligent Automobile Parts Promotion Institute in March last year to push forward the vehicle proving ground project. It is the French carmaker's first vehicle test center in Asia, Yonhap reports.

The center will be in charge of testing future mobility technologies involving autonomous vehicles, electric cars and connected services in Asia, Renault Samsung Chief Executive Dominique Signora said in a statement.

From January to October, sales were down 15 percent on-year to 190,525 autos from 224,534, it said.

The company's current lineup includes the SM3 compact, the all-electric SM3 Z.E. sedan, the QM3 small SUV and the SM5, SM6 and SM7 sedans.

France's Renault S.A. has an 80 percent stake in Renault Samsung.