The Renault Samsung SM3 is a

compact car Compact car is a vehicle size class — predominantly used in North America — that sits between subcompact cars and mid-size cars. "Small family car" is a British term and a part of the C-segment in the European car classification. However, ...

produced by the South Korean manufacturer

Renault Samsung Motors Renault Korea Motors ( ko, 르노코리아자동차), is a South Korean car manufacturer headquartered in Busan where its single assembly site is also located, with additional facilities at Seoul (administration), Giheung (research and developm ...

from 2003 to 2020. __TOC__

First generation (G10; 2002–2009)

The first generation SM3 was a rebranded first generation Nissan Sunny/Bluebird Sylphy made in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

. Production began in September 2002 in

Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, ...

. It has four versions and two

four-cylinder engines The engine configuration describes the fundamental operating principles by which internal combustion engines are categorized. Piston engines are often categorized by their cylinder layout, valves and camshafts. Wankel engines are often categorize ...

available: the 1.5 litre QG15DE and the 1.6 litre with CVTC system QG16DE petrol, both from Nissan. In 2006, the SM3 was launched as Nissan Almera Classic in

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

and

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

. The same year, the car was launched in Central and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

Nissan Almera The Nissan Almera is a line of automobiles that has been manufactured by the Japanese car manufacturer Nissan since 1995. For its early generations, the Almera is a compact car (C-segment), essentially being the European export-market version ...

, (Except in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

where it was sold as

Samsung The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ...

), replacing Sentra after this became a large family car. The SM3 was also sold as the

Nissan Sunny The is an automobile built by the Japanese automaker Nissan from 1966 to 2006. In the early 1980s, the brand changed from Datsun to Nissan in line with other models by the company. Although production of the Sunny in Japan ended in 2006, the na ...

in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

and as the

Renault Scala The Renault Scala nameplate has been used by the French automobile manufacturer Renault for the following cars, in the following markets: * Renault Samsung SM3, in Mexico, Egypt, Cuba and Colombia from 2010–2013 * Nissan Latio (also as Almera, S ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

and Colombia. In July 2009, it was renamed as SM3 CE (Classic Edition). The company announced production of the first generation SM3 would be continued while demand existed. The SM3 CE was discontinued in 2011 in

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

and was manufactured in

for the

n, and

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

Market, under the Nissan brand. Production ended in 2013.

Gallery

file:2002 Samsung SM3 01.jpg, 2002 model front view file:2002 Samsung SM3 02.jpg, 2002 model rear view file:Samsung SM3 SE16 2013 (13768627534).jpg, 2005 model front view file:Samsung SM3 SE16 2008 (13135952784).jpg, 2005 model rear view

Second generation (L38; 2009–2020)

In April 2009, a redesigned SM3 was unveiled at the Seoul Motor Show. The second-generation SM3 is essentially a notchback saloon version of the Mégane 3 with minor cosmetic changes, also badged as

Renault Fluence The Renault Fluence is a compact sedan produced by the French automaker Renault. The car was produced until 2016 at the Oyak-Renault plant in Bursa, Turkey. It was produced until the end of 2018 in Santa Isabel, Argentina, for the Latin America ...

. In 2019, Renault Samsung ceased production of the

internal combustion engine An internal combustion engine (ICE or IC engine) is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. In an internal c ...

d SM3.

2012 facelift

In October 2012,

introduced a redesigned front end for the 2013 model year of the SM3, with a new

grille Grill or grille may refer to: Food * Barbecue grill, a device or surface used for cooking food, usually fuelled by gas or charcoal, or the part of a cooker that performs this function * Flattop grill, a cooking device often used in restaurants, ...

headlamp A headlamp is a lamp attached to the front of a vehicle to illuminate the road ahead. Headlamps are also often called headlights, but in the most precise usage, ''headlamp'' is the term for the device itself and ''headlight'' is the term for ...

s and bumper as well as an improved equipment.

SM3 Neo

To create a "family feeling" with a new model of the company, the QM3 imported from

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

introduced a new facelift to the SM3's front-end for the 2015 model year, known as the SM3 Neo.

Gallery

file:Sm3 apr2010 frontside low angle.jpg, Front side file:Sm3 apr2010 interior.jpg, Cockpit file:Sm3 apr2010 engineroom.jpg, Engine compartment file:RENAULT SAMSUNG SM3 L38 2013 01.JPG, 2013 model front view file:RENAULT SAMSUNG SM3 L38 2013 02.JPG, 2013 model rear view file:RENAULT SAMSUNG SM3 L38 2013 03.JPG, 2013 model Cockpit file:RENAULT SAMSUNG SM3 L38 2013 04.JPG, 2013 model meter file:RENAULT SAMSUNG SM3 Neo L38 2014 001.JPG, SM3 Neo front view file:RENAULT SAMSUNG SM3 Neo L38 2014 002.JPG, SM3 Neo rear view

SM3 Z.E.

At the 2011 Seoul Motor Show,

unveiled an all-electric variant of the SM3 called the Z.E. It is based on the

Renault Fluence Z.E. The Renault Fluence Z.E. is an electric version of the Renault Fluence compact sedan, part of the Renault Z.E. program of battery electric vehicles. It was unveiled by Renault at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. The Fluence Z.E. is outfitted with a ...

and is partly financed by the South Korean Government. The car entered into mass production at the Busan factory during October 2013. The company targets a production of about 4,000 units per year. In 2013, its second marketing year and the first of South Korean assembly, the SM3 Z.E. was leader in electric vehicle sales, with a market share of 58% and 453 cars sold. The company attributed this to its AC-3 charger, its greater range compared to rivals and a better warranty for the battery. In November 2017, company introduced new SM3 Z.E. with range increased by 57 percent to 213 kilometers (132.3 miles) based on the Korean type approval cycle.

References

External links

* * (SM3 Z.E.) {{Renault Samsung Motors SM3 Compact cars Sedans Front-wheel-drive vehicles Cars introduced in 2009