Renault Korea has expanded its consumer test drive program in light of the XM3 E-TECH Hybrid being selected as the ‘Car of the Month’ by the Korean Automobile Journalists Association.
Renault Korea has expanded its test drive program for the XM3 E-TECH Hybrid, which is the closest to an electric vehicle, across all of its more than 170 sales points in Korea.
To celebrate the domestic launch of the XM3 E-TECH Hybrid, produced at the Busan plant and exported worldwide, a test drive program is being held at Busan City Hall, open for participation by all citizens. The Busan test drive program for the XM3 E-TECH Hybrid is available until November 18, every weekday from 10 AM to 5 PM at the reception desk located near the citizen reception area on the first floor of Busan City Hall.
The XM3 E-TECH Hybrid scored a total of 36 points in the Korean Automobile Journalists Association’s announcement for ‘Car of the Month’, receiving 8.0 points in energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions and 7.7 points in product quality and purchase intention, ranking first among the candidate models for November.
The ‘Car of the Month’ selection by the Korean Automobile Journalists Association considers new models and facelifts that were launched from the 1st until the end of the previous month, judging five categories: ▲ interior and exterior design and emotional quality ▲ safety and convenience features ▲ power performance ▲ energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions ▲ product quality and purchase intention. The results are announced at the beginning of each month.
Before its domestic launch on the 28th of last month, the XM3 E-TECH Hybrid had already garnered significant interest, being rated as the best hybrid vehicle by experts and actual buyers in the European market.
In June, Auto Trader in the UK awarded the XM3 E-TECH Hybrid the top spot in the ‘Best Hybrid Car’ category at the 2022 New Car Awards, defeating competitors like the Kia Sorento Hybrid and Lexus RX 450h.
One characteristic of the UK New Car Awards is that the results are based on direct assessments from actual consumers.
The XM3 E-TECH Hybrid also achieved the highest score of 69 points in a comprehensive evaluation of hybrid models conducted by Swedish automotive magazine Teknikens Värld last year, outscoring competitors like the Audi Q5 Sportback TFSI (68 points), Volvo V60 B4 (68 points), Volkswagen Golf 1.0 (65 points), and Toyota Camry Hybrid (64 points).
In addition, the XM3 has received numerous accolades in the European market where it is primarily sold as a hybrid, including the prestigious ‘2022 Voiture de l’Année’ award chosen by French journalists, ranking first in the ‘Compact SUV and MPV’ category, and the 2022 ‘Car of the Year’ in the Ireland Medium Crossover/SUV category, as well as the Car of the Year in Spain and the Company Car of the Year in Slovenia in 2021.
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr