Renault Korea unveiled the Filante, the second model of its new-car project "Aurora," a midsize sport utility vehicle (SUV), in a world premiere. Unlike the first Aurora model, the Grand Koleos, the Filante to be sold in Korea is a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) across all trims. Renault expects the Filante to carry on the momentum of the Grand Koleos, which sold about 40,000 units last year.
Renault Korea held a world premiere event for the Filante on Jan. 13 at the Grand Walkerhill Seoul hotel in Gwangjin. The Filante is the fifth model of "International Game Plan 2027," a strategy by the Renault Group to launch eight new cars by 2027 from five bases outside Europe. Korea is responsible for the development and production of D- and E-segment vehicles, or midsize and large cars.
◇ Renault: "Filante, a result of Korea–France cooperation… to enter global markets"
Renault emphasized that the Filante symbolizes collaboration between Korea and France. Fabrice Cambolive, Renault brand chief executive officer (CEO), said, "The Filante is a model that well illustrates Renault's approach to meeting local expectations by combining the Renault Group's DNA with Korea's technological capabilities."
Nicolas Paris, Renault Korea CEO, also said, "Korea is one of Renault's global bases responsible for producing and developing Renault vehicles, and it is where Renault's present and future move together," adding, "Products that succeed in Korea are proving their excellence around the world." He continued, "We refined every detail of the Filante to meet the expectations of the Korean market, and based on this, we will push for global expansion."
The Filante will be produced at Renault Korea's Busan plant and will be exported overseas as well as sold in the domestic market.
Korea has an established ecosystem for advanced manufacturing components such as semiconductors and displays, and domestic consumers' standards are exacting, making it a proving ground for a new car's success. Domestic sales performance, in effect, serves as an indicator of whether the model will succeed in global markets.
Paris said, "As a model that leads in technology and design, the Filante will reinforce Renault's presence in Asia and the Middle East."
◇ Filante, a step forward from the Grand Koleos
The name Filante means shooting star and comes from Renault's high-speed vehicle, Etoile Filante. Its most notable feature is its angular design. With a design that lowers the body from the front to the rear and emphasizes angular forms, it presents a sleeker look than the rounded Grand Koleos.
A Renault Korea official said of the Filante's exterior, "We designed it to break from traditional body formats, focusing on capturing the characteristics of both sedans and SUVs." The Filante measures 4,915 mm in length, 1,890 mm in width, and 1,635 mm in height, the size of a midsize SUV.
The front features a Renault-specific pattern inspired by a lozenge emblem in the shape of a diamond. The rear is fitted with horizontally wide light-emitting diode (LED) lamps.
The top trim, "Esprit Alpine," applies black to the vehicle's upper and rear sections. Alpine's signature blue design elements appear throughout the interior, and the steering wheel and glove box feature red, white, and blue stitching in the colors of the French flag.
The Filante's driving performance has improved over the Grand Koleos. Renault's hybrid E-Tech powertrain pairs a 100 kW drive motor and a 60 kW starter motor with a 1.5 L turbocharged gasoline direct-injection engine to deliver up to 250 horsepower. Maximum torque is 25.5 kg·m. A high-capacity 1.64 kWh battery enables up to 75% electric driving in urban sections. Official fuel economy is 15.1 km per liter on a combined basis.
Like the Grand Koleos, the Filante is designed on Geely Group's CMA platform. Geely Group acquired 34.02% equity in Renault Korea in 2022, becoming the second-largest shareholder. The CMA platform is also used by Geely Automobile Holdings and Volvo, affiliates of Geely Group.
In line with Renault's Human First philosophy, the Filante comes with 34 advanced driving assistance and safety features. Emergency steering assist and a rear occupant alert that detects passengers after the ignition is off are standard across all trims. It also features an advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) at Level 2 of autonomous driving.
The Filante comes in three trims: Techno, Iconic, and Esprit Alpine. Prices range from 43.31 million won to 49.17 million won. The Iconic and Esprit Alpine trims will start deliveries in Mar., and sales of the Techno trim will begin in the third quarter.