Down 4.6% from April, 40.0% from a year earlier; domestic sales slump continues while exports rebound; Grand Koleos cumulative domestic sales top 70,000 units

Renault Korea's E-segment crossover, the Renault FILANTE. The model sold 1,201 units in the domestic market in May. [Renault Korea]
Renault Korea's E-segment crossover, the Renault FILANTE. The model sold 1,201 units in the domestic market in May. [Renault Korea]

Renault Korea sold a total of 5,913 vehicles in domestic and overseas markets in May, the automaker announced Sunday. Domestic sales declined from the previous month, while exports rebounded on higher Arkana shipment volumes.

The company sold 2,893 units domestically and exported 3,020 units in May, for a combined total of 5,913 vehicles. Total sales fell 4.6 percent from 6,199 units in April and were down 40.0 percent from 9,860 units in the same month last year.

Domestic sales of 2,893 units represented a 28.1 percent drop from the previous month and a 31.2 percent decline from a year earlier. By model, the Grand Koleos — a D-segment SUV — led domestic sales with 1,248 units, followed by the Filante E-segment crossover at 1,201 units and the Arkana coupe SUV at 444 units.

Hybrid models continued to account for a large share of domestic sales. Of the 2,893 units sold domestically in May, 2,295 — or 79.3 percent — were hybrid variants. All Filante units sold were the hybrid E-Tech model, while 1,059 of the 1,248 Grand Koleos units were hybrids. The Arkana Hybrid E-Tech recorded 35 units sold.

The Grand Koleos has now surpassed 70,000 cumulative domestic sales since its launch. A total of 70,117 units were sold in South Korea in the 21 months from its September 2024 launch through May, with the hybrid E-Tech variant accounting for 62,257 units, or roughly 89 percent of the total.

Renault Korea said it plans to continue customer experience events nationwide — including test-drive events at showrooms and road shows — citing strong owner satisfaction scores for the Filante and Grand Koleos.

Exports rose from the previous month. May exports totaled 3,020 units, up 38.9 percent from 2,174 units in April. However, the figure was still down 46.6 percent from 5,658 units in the same month last year.

By model, the Arkana led exports with 1,308 units, followed by the New Koleos — the export name for the Grand Koleos — at 1,058 units and the Polestar 4 at 654 units. The Arkana was particularly instrumental in driving the export rebound, climbing from 260 units in April to 1,308 units in May.

On exports, Renault Korea said it is "optimizing production and shipping schedules in response to unstable international conditions."

Cumulative sales for the January-May period totaled 28,733 units, down 25.3 percent from the same period last year. Domestic sales over the same period fell 22.8 percent to 17,787 units, while exports dropped 29.0 percent to 10,946 units.


kwater@heraldcorp.com