Renault program director named chief of S. Korea operations

SEOUL, Feb. 11 (Yonhap) -- Renault S.A. has named its vehicle program director as the new chief of its South Korean operations amid the extended COVID-19 pandemic, Renault Samsung Motors Corp. said Friday.

Stephane Deblaise, 49, has served as advanced project and cross-car line program director at the French carmaker and will begin his new position in South Korea on March 1, Renault Samsung said in a statement.

His predecessor Dominique Signora began his CEO career at Renault Samsung in November 2017 and has helped the carmaker win production volumes of the XM3 compact SUV for exports to Europe amid the pandemic, it said.

Renault Samsung sold 13,314 vehicles in January, jumping from 6,152 units a year earlier. In 2021, its sales rose 14 percent to 132,769 autos from 116,166 a year ago.

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