- The Latitude is Renault's attempt to grab a portion of the midsize car market.
- It comes with a choice of two gasoline engines: a 2.5-liter V6 or a 2.0-liter four-cylinder.
- Refinement is the goal more than sport, with such features as zoned climate control and fragrance dispensers.
MOSCOW — Renault's newest sedan, the Latitude, made its debut at the 2010 Moscow Auto Show this week. The car will eventually be sold in more than 50 markets worldwide, including several in Western Europe.
Based on the Samsung SM5 — the Renault-Nissan Alliance owns the Korean carmaker — the Latitude is tipped to help Renault retain a hold on its dwindling portion of the midsize car market. The company's share of the segment has shrunk by more than half as a result of the failure of its Passat-size Laguna hatchback, sales of which were 50 percent off target in its first full year in showrooms.
The Renault strategy will face early headwinds at the 2010 Paris Auto Show next month, where French unions plan to protest over the fact that the Latitude is built in Korea rather than France. It was developed in France and South Korea using a mix of Renault, Nissan and Samsung hardware.
The Latitude is about the size of a Chevrolet Malibu and comes with a choice of two gasoline engines, a 2.5-liter V6 making 177 horsepower and a 2.0-liter four making 139 hp. Key features of the Latitude include a massaging driver seat, an air quality management system with dual ionizer and fragrance dispensers as well as zoned climate control enabling the driver, passenger and rear-seat occupants to adjust the air-conditioning individually.
Exceptional cabin and truck space, an optional, large-scale panoramic sunroof, assorted high-end audio options, automatic transmissions and an emphasis on refinement all indicate a car that is more about comfort than a sporting drive. That's consistent with the character of many of Renault's big and rarely successful sedans and hatchbacks from the past, although these models, such as the Safrane and Vel Satis (which remains in production) have mainly been aimed at the Western European market.
The Latitude will go on sale in Morocco, Algeria, Russia, the Ukraine and Africa, where it's likely to see more success, before going on sale in Western Europe with some design revisions and an engine lineup that includes diesels.
Inside Line says: This ordinary-looking sedan may do well in less mature markets, but it will struggle to compensate for a decade's worth of poor plays from Renault in Europe's mid and upper segments. — Richard Bremner, Correspondent
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p00pman says:
04:43 PM, 08/26/2010
@Jaun_mx... the first generation sm5 was based on the maxima, the second generation was based on the teana, the third was based on the altima, which shares the platform with a teana (the teana being longer), I originally didnt want to have to write that out but...
juan_mx says:
08:06 AM, 08/26/2010
@p00pman
Actually, it is not "based on" the Altima, they just share the same platform.
The Latitude is a rebadged Samsung SM5, that is originally based on the Nissan Teana.
lions208487 says:
07:21 AM, 08/26/2010
Not a bad way to go, but not a good one either. the sm5 aka VQ25DE is the same new engine in the skline 250 just with less zoom for the money, and the 2.0 will be the same engine in the Sentra.
If Renault produced this car state side, the Malibu would be a much better option or Opel for you European readers...
p00pman says:
04:41 PM, 08/25/2010
...based on the samsung sm5, which is based on the nissan altima, for the american readers.
desmolicious says:
04:37 PM, 08/25/2010
Looks like a Saab
ed124c says:
03:02 PM, 08/25/2010
I could almost see myself buying one of these if it came with a 55" Samsung LED 3D TV in the trunk. (rear seats folded, of course)
So Samsung makes cars. I didn't know that. I guess the Koreans are good at this making-things thing.
If Hyundai/Kia were to buy out Samsung auto division, well... who knows what would happen to the US car makers. But if this mundane looking sedan above is the best they can do now, I guess we still have a few more years of trying to keep our big 3 in business.
But, just as with England, it all seems inevitable.