French Ambassador to Korea Philippe Bertoux, along with key officials from the embassy, visited Renault Korea's Busan plant, Friday, the carmaker said Sunday.
The ambassador toured the main facilities of the Busan plant, which the company said attained the highest level of production quality among all Renault Group plants worldwide.
Renault Korea is responsible for the development and production of high-end D and E segment vehicles as one of five global hubs for the global market outside of Europe under the French automotive group's "Renault Brand International Game Plan" strategy, it said.
D segment vehicles mainly refer to mid-size family cars, while E segment automobiles are full-size executive sedans.
"Seeing the Korean national flag and the French flag hanging together inside the Busan plant was a powerful reminder that Renault Korea is playing an important role in both Korea and France. After experiencing the Busan plant, which is producing amazing results, expectations for the success of Renault Korea's Aurora project also increased," Bertoux said.
Renault Korea intends to introduce a range of electrified models to both domestic and overseas markets through its project "Aurora," which is dedicated to developing the next generation of eco-friendly vehicles.
A hybrid D SUV, scheduled to be launched in the second half of this year as the first model of the Aurora project, will be launched as a new model rather than a successor to Renault Korea's existing vehicles.
Bertoux, who took office last July, previously served as director of strategic affairs, security, and disarmament at France's Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).