Details of Cars

Renault Koleos: the crossover built in Busan

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Renault Koleos / Samsung QM5
A first-generation Renault Koleos, also sold as the Samsung QM5. Photo by Dinkun Chen, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The Renault Koleos is a five-passenger compact and later mid-size crossover SUV built over three generations, mainly in Busan, South Korea, by Renault Korea. In Korea the first generation was sold as the Renault Samsung QM5 and the second as the Renault Samsung QM6.

Renault Koleos at a glance

Renault Koleos key facts
Maker Renault Korea (formerly Renault Samsung Motors), Busan
Production since 2007, three generations
Type compact, later mid-size crossover SUV
Korean names Renault Samsung QM5, then QM6
Second-generation platform Renault-Nissan CMF-CD
Third generation Renault Grand Koleos on Geely CMA
Concept Koleos Concept, Paris Motor Show 2006
First sales end of 2007 in Korea, 2008 elsewhere

Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on the Renault Koleos.

History of the Renault Koleos

Renault’s first crossover

The Koleos was Renault’s addition to the compact SUV market, after the Scénic RX4 and the Kangoo, although the company had never produced a true crossover before. A Koleos concept car was shown to the media as early as February 2000, and the Koleos Concept appeared at the Paris Motor Show in 2006. The production model was launched at the end of 2007 in South Korea and in 2008 in other markets. Its body design was based on the Koleos and Egeus concept cars, and rivals such as the Citroën C-Crosser and Peugeot 4007 appeared at about the same time.

Renault Koleos rear
Rear view of the same car. Photo by Dinkun Chen, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Three generations

The first generation, coded HY, was sold in Korea as the Renault Samsung QM5 and the second as the Renault Samsung QM6. The QM6 uses the Renault-Nissan CMF-CD modular platform shared with the Nissan X-Trail and Rogue and the Renault Kadjar. The third generation is marketed as the Renault Grand Koleos and moved to the Compact Modular Architecture developed by Geely, based on the Geely Xingyue L, also sold as the Monjaro.

Design and features

  • Busan production: built in South Korea for global markets.
  • Korean badges: sold as the Renault Samsung QM5 and QM6.
  • Shared platforms: CMF-CD with Nissan and Renault models, then Geely’s CMA.
  • Concept origins: shaped by the 2006 Koleos Concept and the Egeus show car.

Renault Koleos versions

  • Koleos I (HY, 2007): the original compact crossover.
  • Koleos II: on the CMF-CD platform, sold as the QM6.
  • Grand Koleos (third generation): on the Geely CMA platform.

The Koleos shares its market with the Dacia Duster and the Renault Scénic, and its Korean identity belongs with the Samsung-built Renault Fluence. More Renaults are in the Renault collection.

Video: The new Renault Koleos

Video by psgeschichten on YouTube.

Sources

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