The Seoul Motor Show witnessed the SM7 concept model from Renault’s Korean subsidiary Samsung. Renault had released a teaser sketch of the concept last month. The SM7 is predicted to be the flagship model of Renault Samsung, and the concept is aimed at being the pro-production design study unit.
The production version of the car is expected to make its presence felt in the streets of South Korea from the latter half of this year where it will be pitched as a replacement for the current SM7. The SM7 itself is based on the Nissan J31 platform and so are other cars such as the Asian Nissan Teana and the North American Nissan Maxima. However, the J31 platform is clearly past its best days. On the other hand, the SM7 in its new version would be based on the elongated SM5 platform.
The Renault Nissan Alliance collaboration has been the genesis of the D-segment sedan. The front of the SM7 is dominated by the huge trapezoidal grille. It also has a bulging hood and teardrop shaped LED headlights. All this gives the SM7 concept a modern look and appeal. Two large oval exhausts make up the rear of the vehicle, and there are the thin boomerang shaped taillights joined by a very long third brake light which adds a striking feature to the concept.
There are no pictures which depict the interior of the car and there is no information or details of the same that has been released on this aspect. Competitors of the SM7 would be the Hyundai Grandeur and the Kia K7 for the Korean market.
In Europe the same car model is called the Latitude. The company at the time of the launch of the Latitude had impressed that it was not a replacement for the VelSatis. There is a chance therefore that the company may re-badge the SM7 to Europe and label it as the VelSatis or Safrane.
Source: carscoop
