Renault ceases importing cars from South Korea into Europe
- The Renault Arkana SUV, launched in 2021, was based on the Renault Captur SUV platform, with its wheelbase extended by 8 cm. Its length, increased to 4.57 m (compared to 4.24 m for the Captur), made it more of a C-segment model than a B-segment one. The Arkana was produced in South Korea by Renault Korea (formerly Renault Samsung) and enjoyed some success in Europe, with sales volumes of 38,000 in 2021, 76,000 in 2022, 69,000 in 2023, 46,000 in 2024, and 20,000 in 2025, for a total of 250,000 units imported from Korea.
- Due to a steady decline sales since 2023, amplified by the 2024 launch of the 4.41m long Renault Symbioz SUV produced in Europe, Renault has decided to stop production of the Arkana in December 2025, which means the end of imports of the Arkana from Korea into Europe.
- Koleos SUV suffered the same fate, after 15 years of importing 150,000 units into Europe from Korea. We can even go back further and recall the Renault Latitude sedan (2010-2015), also imported from Korea, albeit in smaller quantities.
- The end of production of the Renault Arkana therefore marks the end of imports into Europe of Renault cars from Korea and the Busan site is set to become a production site for Renault cars both for the Korean market and for international markets outside European markets.