Renault Samsung Motors’ sport utility vehicles have been gaining popularity in South Korea as more consumers choose SUVs for city driving and commuting with the vehicle’s improved fuel efficiency and ride quality.

Sales of SUVs in Korea this year were tallied at 315,534 so far, a 25 percent from the same period of last year. In line with the upward trend, RSM’s SUV sales have been on the rise too, the automaker said.

Its best-selling model mid-sized SUV QM6 sold 24,946 units in the first half alone, up 48 percent from a year earlier.

The surge in sales was driven by QM6 LPe, which is the only liquefied petroleum gas SUV model in Korea, and gasoline SUV QM6 GDe, both of which enjoy a steady popularity in the local vehicle market, RSM said.

The LPG SUV model QM6 LPe is popular among city commuters who enjoy LPG fuel’s superior economy and space utilization. The average price per liter of LPG fuel is around 700 won ($0.6) here, far lower than the price of gasoline, which stands at 1,300 won.

The gasoline model QM6 GDe is also a good choice for urban driving due to its smooth driving performance. The QM6 GDe comes with a soft, quiet 2.0 GDe gasoline engine to minimize noise and vibration, according to the company.

Renault Samsung said its compact SUV XM3, launched in March this year, also stably settled in the market with 22,252 units sold. 

By Shin Ji-hye (shinjh@heraldcorp.com)