Geely to loan CMA platform to Renault

As part of the alliance, you’d expect Renault to partner with Nissan or Mitsubishi should the French automaker expand its presence in Asia. Unusually that’s not the case this time around as Renault officially teamed up with Geely to produce a new line of vehicles in South Korea.

Renault and Geely announced their collaboration into the South Korean market last week. According to the signed agreement, Renault will build new models using Geely’s Compact Modular Architecture (CMA). Renault will even utilize the brand’s hybrid and internal combustion engines. The upcoming vehicles will then be built at the Renault-Samsung Motors (RSM) facility in South Korea, with production expected to begin by 2024.

“We are happy to initiate such an innovative partnership with Geely Group, which has an impressive track record in Automotive Industry. Through this project, Geely Holding and Renault Group pave the way to pursue 20 years of successful RSM journey and contribution to the South Korean industry,” said Luca de Meo, CEO of Renault Group.

The automakers have yet to detail the new vehicles. However, their announcement did say “the new vehicles will provide South Korean customers with premium features, industry-leading technology and strengthen RSM’s reputation in the market as provider of high-quality automotive services.”

What’s even more interesting is the following bit. “While vehicles will be initially designed for the South Korean market, RSM will allow for their export in the future.”

Does this mean we will see more Renault models in the region? It might be the case. But if the automaker plans to expand its presence in Asia, why didn’t they do so with alliance members Nissan and Mitsubishi? Both already have a strong presence in the Asian region, to begin with. Whatever the case, we’ll be looking closely at the development of this new Renault-Geely partnership.