Renault Samsung XM3 Inspire Concept Heralds South Korea’s 2020 Arkana

Following last year’s reveal of the Arkana coupe SUV pre-production concept for Russia and other markets worldwide, Renault has now rebadged the show car for the Korean market.

At the Seoul Motor Show the Renault Samsung brand has unveiled the XM3 Inspire, which is nothing more than a badge-engineered Arkana. Renault’s Korean subsidiary says the new show car “embodies a new era in Renault Samsung Motors design.”

More importantly, it previews a production model that will launch in the first half of 2020 for the South Korean market.

So what’s different compared to the Arkana? Not much, actually, except the new badging and color. If you put the two side by side, you will notice subtle cosmetic differences including the orange accents on skid plates, bumpers, and side skirts, as well as darker 19-inch alloys. The most notable change, however, is at the rear, where the XM3 Inspire features a different rear bumper and a metal plate.

No photos of the interior were revealed, but that’s not surprising since we haven’t seen the Arkana’s cabin yet either.

“With the clear objective of meeting the expectations of our customers in South Korea, we sought to create the most elegant vehicle in the world, an emblematic model that will mark the true design transformation of Renault Samsung Motors,” said Groupe Renault’s corporate design director, Laurens Van den Acker.

The Renault Samsung XM3 C-segment crossover will be built at the Busan plant as part of the French automaker’s plan to increase sales in South Korea. The move is part of the French automaker’s broader strategic plan “Drive the Future”, which targets 5 million annual sales by 2022.