Samsung started making cars in 1998, Nissan providing technical assistance. It was hit almost straight away by a financial crisis, and Renault then took a major stake in the year 2000. Since then it has made cars under the Samsung brand in its home country Korea and Chile. Elsewhere they are sold under the Renault brand. I have included pictures of each model below. Pictured from top are the the SM3, SM5, SM7 and QM5. The QM is also sold as the Renault Koleos.
In 2012, Samsung sold 59,926 cars in Korea and 5,631 in Chile. Below is sales data for the Samsung range. As you can see, they all have dropped for 2012, as it is difficult for a small brand to take on the likes of Kia and Hyundai. For now, Samsung will soldier on as a small car brand. Making cars for Renault and Nissan will surely be the longer term plan.
| SM5 | 32,699 | -35% | 49.8% | |
| SM3 | 22,793 | -47% | 34.7% | |
| SM7 | 5,263 | -69% | 8.0% | |
| Qm5 | 4,936 | -35% | 7.5% | |
| Total | 65,691 | -44% |
Picture and data source thanks to Renault Group.
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